Falling Rose Petals
by Kaorei
Summary: Once upon a time, Prince Adrien was transformed into a hideous beast. In order to break the spell, he must find someone who can love him for who he is before the last petal of the enchanted rose falls. Marinette wants so much more than an ordinary life, and when she exchanges her freedom for her father's, she may just be the one who can break it. ― beautyandthebeast!au.
1. Once Upon A Time

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Miraculous Ladybug. It belongs to its respective owner.**_

* * *

 **Falling Rose Petals**

Prologue

 **Once Upon A Time**

Once upon a time, in a faraway land, a young Prince lived in a shining castle. Although he was constantly showered with rich, material goods, the Prince never truly felt happy. He longed for something that one could not buy—love. His father, the King, never paid attention to him because he was always busy ruling the kingdom. Because of this, the Prince's heart was filled with loneliness, and it only strengthened after the death of his father, who never gave his son the love he deserved when he was still alive.

One winter's night, an old beggar woman came to the castle and offered the Prince a single rose in exchange from the bitter cold. The Prince gladly welcomed her in, hoping that her presence would erase the loneliness in his heart. He and his servants gave her everything she wanted, spoiling her with treasures greater than she could ever imagine.

But upon realizing that the woman was only using him for his riches, the Prince attempted to kick her out of his castle, only angering her. At this, the woman's haggard appearance melted away to reveal a beautiful Enchantress with hair as blonde as the sun, but with a heart as black as death. Driven mad from being spoiled for days on end, the Enchantress' true nature had emerged.

Furious at his attempt to kick her out, the Enchantress put a curse on the Prince, transforming him into a hideous beast that would be feared by all those who laid their eyes on him. She then cast a powerful spell on the castle and on all those who lived there, turning each one of them into ordinary household objects.

Ashamed of his monstrous form, the Beast concealed himself within his castle walls with a magic mirror as his only window to the outside world. The rose she had given him was truly an enchanted rose, which would continue to bloom until his twenty-first birthday.

If he could find someone who could love him—someone who could give him the love he had never received from his father—by the time the last petal fell, then the spell would be broken. If not, he would be doomed to remain a beast for all time.

As the years passed, the Prince fell into despair. He lost all hope, and the loneliness in his heart only became stronger as the days went on.

For who could ever learn to love a beast?

* * *

 **A/N:** I was watching Disney's _Beauty and the Beast_ and then my fingers typed all this on their own I swear.

I'm such Miraculous Ladybug trash that I even decided to write a Beauty and the Beast AU of it LOL whoops. Since Adrien's anything but mean, I had to change it up a bit. It was a bit hard to think of _why_ he would be cursed, but then I saw Chloe's face in the newest episode, and thought _yes, the perfect Enchantress_. This is going to be a story of maybe ten chapters only, but I really do hope that some of you will stick around until the very end! I already planned everything out and made quite a few changes (so that it's not a literal copy-paste of the movie) while keeping many Disney _and_ Miraculous Ladybug elements, so chapters will be out fairly quickly. Please let me know what you think of the prologue! :)

Full summary: Once upon a time, Prince Adrien was transformed into a hideous beast by a vengeful Enchantress. In order to break the spell, he must find someone who could look past his monstrous appearance, and love him for who he is before the last petal of the enchanted rose falls. Marinette is a girl who wants so much more than an ordinary life, and when she exchanges her freedom for her father's, she may just be the one who could break the spell. ― Chat Noir/Ladybug, beautyandthebeast!au.

Thank you for reading!


	2. Marinette

**Falling Rose Petals**

Chapter 01

 **Marinette**

This village was just like the last one, Marinette Dupain-Cheng thought as she walked out of her father's bakery to get to the library. She was labeled as _weird_ and _peculiar_ , once again because of her love for books. But how could one not like books? They were filled with so much fun and adventure—things that Marinette had always longed for. What she would give for something more than this provincial life.

"I'm running short on eggs and sugar," her father, Tom, said from the entrance of the bakery. "Could you pass by the marketplace to get some?"

Marinette nodded. "Sure thing, papa," she said. "It's on my way, anyway."

"Thank you, Marinette!" he exclaimed, re-entering his bakery to get ready for the morning's breakfast rush.

Marinette walked along the same path she walked every single day, her new dress flowing around her legs. As well as her love for books, she loved to sew and design clothes. This trait in particular caught a certain villager's eye—and if she were considered peculiar, then this guy was a whole new level of _peculiar_. He ditched his old name, and opted for a… well, _weird_ one. _Hawkmoth_ , he said upon first introducing himself, _call me Hawkmoth_. She often wondered why _he_ wasn't the one being targeted by the villagers for being different.

The bell above the humble little library rang, signaling Marinette's entry.

"Good morning, Nathalie," Marinette greeted the apathetic bookshop owner. Nathalie was a redhead who didn't like books despite working in a place that lent them to people. She only accepted this job to put bread on the table, she once said.

"Good morning," Nathalie replied monotonously to her regular customer as she continued to stack the books on the shelf. "What brings you here today?"

"I finished my book," Marinette said, placing it on the table. She approached the book shelf, scanning it with her ocean blue eyes. "Do you have anything new?"

"Not since yesterday," Nathalie replied, pushing a book into the shelf.

"That's fine," Marinette said, scanning the shelf for a particular book. "I think I'll just borrow this one again." She grabbed a book from the bottom of the shelf, presenting it to the librarian.

"Haven't you already read that more than once?" Nathalie said, turning away after reading the title of the book.

"It's my favorite!" Marinette exclaimed, jumping up and down excitedly while clutching the book. "Can you just imagine it—mind-controlled victims, magic sprites, and heroes who unknowingly love each other? It's a world I'd love to live in—a world full of adventure!"

Nathalie sighed, a rare smile tugging at her lips. "Well, since you _are_ the only one who ever reads that old thing, how about you keep it?"

"What?" Marinette asked, eyes widening. "Do you… you mean, I can… Really?"

The librarian nodded. "Take it, I insist," she said.

"Oh, th-thank you!" Marinette said happily. "Thank you so much!"

Nathalie gave her a small smile before turning away to get back to stacking her library books. Marinette carefully placed the book in her basket and exited the shop, remembering to buy her father some eggs and sugar.

"Look, there she goes. That girl is so peculiar."

"No denying, she's a funny girl, that Marinette."

Marinette sighed at the whispers as she passed a group of people. She seemed to always be the number one subject of the town's gossip. It was a bit unnerving at first, but after overhearing them many times, she had grown accustomed to it.

"A bag of sugar," Marinette told the person at the stand. "And six eggs, please."

"Six eggs? That's too expensive," the seller said with wide eyes, handing her the food. Marinette pulled out a little pouch and handed the man the coins she needed to pay for the food, surprising him, until: "Ah yes, you're the baker's daughter, are you not? Business must surely be booming."

Marinette laughed. "Good day to you too, sir."

When she turned around, she sighed in exasperation when she spotted a tall middle-aged man in the distance. It was Hawkmoth all right—the last person she wanted to bump into while out in the village. She wanted to make a run for it, but he already saw her, and it would be far too rude to do so.

"Good morning, Marinette," Hawkmoth greeted upon approaching her. His eyes trailed down to her dress, then back up to her face. "A new dress, I believe."

"Good morning," Marinette said flatly, then began walking away to head back home. Hawkmoth stepped aside to block her path, making her scowl.

"Where are your manners?" he asked. "I was just greeting you a good morning."

"I'm going to have to decline," Marinette said, knowing full well why he talked to her this morning (and every other morning). "Again."

"But Marinette," Hawkmoth began. "Fashion is an industry that continues to grow. Someone as talented as you in sewing and designing doesn't belong in a little village like this one. As I've mentioned several times before, I could pay you a large sum of money if you would just come work as a seamstress in my factory in the next village."

"No, thank you, sir," Marinette said. "My father needs me. I'm not leaving him all by himself."

After the death of her mother, it had always just been Marinette and her father. They kept each other company, chasing away the loneliness that ever threatened to swallow them whole. Marinette wasn't planning on leaving him behind. He needed her as much as she needed him.

"You're missing out on a huge opportunity," Hawkmoth tried to reason. "You could make clothes with all kinds of fabric and work with the best sewing technology. You could even grow to become a worldwide-known fashion designer."

"I truly do appreciate the offer, sir. But again, my father needs me, and I need him," Marinette answered, angering the man.

"Have it your way," Hawkmoth said, storming off childishly.

Marinette sighed in relief when his figure disappeared in the distance, and she continued to make her way back home. She swung her basket in her hands and looked up to admire the clouds in the sky to distract her from the funny stares she earned every time she stepped foot into the village.

She entered her home and bakery, waving hello to her father when she did so. "I'm back," Marinette said, holding up her basket.

"Thank you very much! Come again," Tom smiled to his customer, who left with a fresh baguette in their arms. When the door shut, he ran over to his daughter, "Did you get the ingredients I asked for?"

"Of course," Marinette said, taking them out. Her father took them in his arms and walked to the back of the bakery to begin making a new batch of bread and sweets. Marinette followed him to the back, taking her new book with her.

"Thank you, Marinette," Tom said, pulling up his sleeves and tying a white apron around his waist. "This is perfect. I have just enough for tomorrow's batch as well."

"No problem," she smiled, flipping through the pages of her book. Her smile slowly faded, and when she closed her book, she asked, "Hey, papa?"

"Hm?" Tom answered while in the process of kneading the dough. "Is there something wrong?"

"Do you think I'm… weird?" Marinette asked with a frown.

"Weird?" Tom asked, slapping the dough on the table. "Of course not. Where on Earth did you get that idea from?"

"Well… I overhear the villagers say that about me all the time. I'm starting to think I really _am_ weird."

"They're just saying that because you're not like the rest of them," Tom said, putting the white dough aside to let it rise. He patted his hands together, white clouds of flour forming as he did so. "If anything, it's better to be different than to be exactly like everyone else."

Marinette smiled, knowing all too well where he got those very lines from—her late mother always told her that whenever she was feeling left out. Marinette ran over to her father and gave him a hug. "Thanks, papa," she said.

"Anytime, Marinette," Tom replied, hugging his daughter back. When he pulled away, he laughed at the flour that dusted her two pigtails.

"What's so funny?" Marinette asked in confusion. When Tom pointed at her hair, she ran her fingers through her midnight hair and looked down at her fingers to find white flour on it.

"You look just like your mother," Tom said. "Her hair was always covered in flour whenever she worked in the back baking bread."

They laughed once more, and when Marinette's laughter died down, she smiled sadly. "I miss her."

"We both do, honey," Tom said, pulling her in for another comforting hug. "We both do."

* * *

The next day, Marinette awoke to the sound of shuffling and crinkling. She sat upright, stretched her arms, and then got up from her bed to find the source of the sound. She opened the door of her room to find her father all dressed up with a brown satchel slung over his shoulder. Rolls of papers stuck out from his bag, and he picked a nice hat hanging from the rack in the corner of the room.

"Papa, where are you going?" Marinette yawned, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

"Ah, Marinette!" Tom exclaimed at the sight of his daughter. "I'm going to the next village to buy new ingredients. A customer told me they've stocked up on a lot since winter's coming. Marzipan, vanilla beans, shortbread—those ingredients would surely help with business, wouldn't they?"

"Oh, I see," she said. "So, I guess I'll be watching over the bakery while you're gone, right?"

Tom nodded. "You've done it plenty of times already, I'm sure you'll be fine."

"You can trust me, papa," Marinette smiled. "Don't worry."

"I'll be back by tonight, like always," Tom said as they exited their house to get to the horse stable in their backyard. Marinette put on a pair of shoes, and then followed her father outside.

Tom took his trusty horse out of the wooden stable, and fed him fresh carrots from their pantry to give the animal plenty of energy to get to the next village.

"Is there anything you'd like me to get you?" her father asked.

"Not really. I'm perfectly fine, papa, thank you," Marinette smiled.

"There must be _something_ ," Tom insisted. "A new book perhaps? Or would you prefer more sewing tools? I know a very nice shop that sells the best—"

Marinette always felt bad whenever her father insisted on buying her something expensive. It was hard work running a bakery—she just wanted him to spend the money he earned on baking ingredients rather than on small luxuries for her.

"I'm fine, papa," Marinette replied, waving her hands. "Really, I don't want anything."

"Maybe you'd prefer more fabric?" Tom asked. "Come on, honey. I don't mind."

"Fine, if you insist," Marinette sighed. If she didn't give him an answer, then he'd surely buy her something too extravagant and expensive. She racked her brain for the cheapest thing she could think of, her face evidently beaming when she did. "I'd like a single red rose."

"A rose?" Tom asked, tilting his head to the left. Why would she want something so simple?

She nodded. "Yes, one would be nice, papa. That's all I'd like."

"Are you sure? Not even a bouquet?" Tom asked, and Marinette nodded. "If you say so. Don't come crying to me if you regret not asking me for a new book or tools."

Marinette laughed. "I won't."

Tom hopped onto the horse's back and turned his head back to bid his daughter goodbye as the horse began walking in the direction of the next village.

"Goodbye, Marinette! Take care!" Tom cried out, waving goodbye. "I'll be back soon!"

"Goodbye, papa!" Marinette waved back, smiling. "Be safe!"

* * *

 **A/N:** Instead of Gaston, you guys get a creepy, overly-perseverant Hawkmoth LOL. I couldn't imagine any of the guys as Gaston, so I figured I'd have someone go after Marinette for a completely different reason. I kept a sprinkle of the original tale too by having Marinette ask for a single red rose, since Tom isn't an inventor like Maurice in Disney's _Beauty and the Beast_. Oh, and stay tuned because Adrien's going to show up in the next chapter! c:

Thank you for reading!


	3. The Rose in the Glass

**Falling Rose Petals**

Chapter 02

 **The Rose in the Glass**

"This can't be right…" Tom muttered to himself as he scanned the map in his hands.

The sun had begun to set, and the sky, formerly a cloudless blue sky, was now a mix of red and orange and blue and violet. After buying all he needed from the next village, Tom went on the hunt for a single red rose for his daughter. With the weather getting colder, it was very difficult to find the perfect full-bloomed red rose for Marinette.

"Would you like a _blue_ rose, sir?"

"I have fully-bloomed _yellow_ roses in the back!"

"Why would you want red ones when you can have _pink_ ones?"

Every shop he went into had roses of all colors _except_ for red. He gave up his search when he noticed the sky getting darker, thoroughly disappointed in himself for failing to find such a simple item for his daughter.

Tom scratched his head, and looked back up at the fork in the road in confusion. After realizing that he spent far too much time looking for the rose, he went a different path than he was used to in order to (hopefully) get back home faster. He ended up getting lost in the forest, and he was now trying to find where he was on the map he carried.

"At this rate, I'm going to have to find a place to stay for the night," Tom said to himself as he continued to read the map. When he still couldn't find out where he was, he shoved it back into his satchel in frustration, guiding his horse to the right. "I'm sure this one's the right way."

The horse looked ahead of him in disbelief, wondering _what on Earth_ was going through his owner's mind that made him want to take that path instead of the other one. The path on the left was bright and welcoming, while the other path was dark and sinister. Birds chirped and colorful autumn leaves swirled into little tornadoes on the left, while wolves howled and dead trees shook with violent wind on the right. The horse disobeyed his owner and pulled to the left, but was stopped by Tom.

"Wrong way, boy," Tom said, pulling his horse to the right. "This way is definitely going to get us home faster. If not, I'm sure it would lead us to another village where we could stay for the night."

The horse obeyed, though fearful of the possible dangers beyond this very path. It picked up its pace, wanting nothing more than to escape from this terrifying past of the forest.

They travelled for what felt like hours, the sun long gone and replaced with a pearly white moon. Tom and his horse were met with too many forks in the road to count, and with every turn, they seemed to have gone much deeper into the woods. They came across a pole full of signs pointing in all kinds of directions, but the writing on them was ineligible.

He took a left at that fork in the road, his face brightening when he spotted a large tower in the distance beyond the fog. He pulled his horse in that direction, staring up in awe at the height of the castle upon approaching it.

"A castle?" Tom asked aloud, and hopped off the back of his horse. He walked over to the black iron gates, clutching the bars and shaking them in hopes of opening them. Fortunately for him, they did, and Tom turned to his horse, and said, "Come on, boy. It's all right."

It followed him in reluctantly, stopping when its owner walked up to the entrance of the palace. It neighed, catching Tom's attention.

"You stay out here for the night. I'll be back in the morning," Tom said, watching as the horse collapsed on the ground for exhaustion. The baker ran over to it and placed some fresh carrots on the ground before him, petting it. "Good boy. You deserve these."

The horse neighed in response, and Tom turned back around and walked up the stairs to the entrance. He knocked on the large wooden door, and after receiving no response, he tried twisting the doorknob. The door opened up when he did, and he smiled and entered the dark castle.

The castle was immense; utilizing architecture dating back to the Baroque period. Swirling staircases were found on either side of the room, separating the East Wing and the West Wing.

"Hello?" Tom called out. When he received no answer, he tried again. "Hello?"

The baker walked around the first floor of the castle, looking around to see if there was anything residing in it. "Is anybody here?" he asked loudly. "I'm lost in the woods, and need a place to stay for the night."

Tom concluded that the castle was abandoned when no one answered once again, and so continued to roam the castle floors, hoping to find a decent room to sleep in. He chose to go to the West Wing, and walked up the swirling staircase. He walked a long way, down a haunting corridor lined with beastly statues. There was a door at the end of the hallway, and Tom opened up them up with a strong pull.

He peered inside, gaping in awe at the beautiful décor. Although dimly lit, Tom was able to see a well-made bed, velvet couches and mahogany side-tables near the left corner of the large room. The walls were covered in exquisite paintings, but one in particular caught his eye. It appeared to be a painting of a blonde-haired boy, though it was hard to see because of the huge tear on it.

Across from the bed, the wooden floors turned into a perfect blend of stone and marble. There was a balcony on the far-right corner of the room, its white doors open, splashing the room with moonlight. There was something specific that caught Tom's eye on that side of the room, however—standing on top of a stone-marble table.

"A rose?" Tom whispered, his eyes brightening when he remembered Marinette asking him for a single red rose. At last his search for it was over.

Tom approached the flower, mouth agape at its beauty. This wasn't just any rose, however—something about it just seemed so _magical_. The red rose floated in thin air, sparkling with what looked like magic dust and shone with bright light. It was trapped inside a case made of glass, which Tom carefully lifted up and placed on the ground.

"Marinette would surely love this," Tom whispered to himself, lifting up his hand to grab. Inches away from touching its stem, he was interrupted by a terrifying growl that shook the floor beneath his feet. The baker fell down, and when he looked back up, he was met with piercing green eyes that bore a hole into his soul.

The _creature_ picked up the glass case and swiftly threw it over the enchanted rose before turning back around to face the intruder.

"Who are you?" it snarled, making Tom shake up and down. When it received no answer, it asked even louder, "I said… _who are you_?!"

"I-I'm… I just…!" Tom stuttered; his words caught in his throat. If the creature's voice didn't scare him enough, it stepped into the light, making the man gasp in terror.

The beast's face resembled that of a feline of sorts, its fur thick and black as coal. Its ears were sharp and pointing upwards, its paws large with sharpened nails, and its tail long and sticking out from behind him. Its teeth were sharp and menacing, looking as though it would chomp down on Tom any second now. A long, dark green cloak fluttered against the wind, doing very little to cover the beast's monstrous figure. After inspecting the _monster_ , Tom trailed back up to see those glaring green eyes once again.

"I'm sorry, please forgive me!" Tom pleaded, scrambling to get on his feet. The beast growled once more, making the baker fall back down.

" _Do you realize what you could have done_?!" it thundered. Its face softened, turning into one of worry and fear as he spoke, "The rose could have… the _spell_ might have… and I—my servants—we…"

"S-spell?" Tom echoed.

"Why have you come?" it asked, glaring down at him viciously. " _Thieves_ are not welcome here."

Tom shook his head vigorously. "I'm not a thief! I just—"

"Why have you come?" it repeated, its eyes suddenly widening with fright. "Y-you've been sent by the Enchantress, haven't you?"

"What Enchantress? I just—for my—" Tom stopped himself before he could say his daughter's name in fear of the beast going after her. "I just needed a place to stay!"

The beast growled. "I'll give you a place to stay."

It grabbed Tom by the collar, ignoring the poor old man's cries as it carried it out of its room. When the monster exited the room, it slammed it shut with all its might, shaking the entire floor.

After witnessing their Master's wrath, a candelabra, a teapot and two little teacups emerged from their hiding spots.

"Oh, Prince Adrien…" the teapot, Alya, murmured softly with sadness in her voice. "I've never seen him so angry before. He's always been so gentle."

"If you ask me, that old guy deserved it," the black teacup, Plagg, huffed. "He almost touched the rose! We would've stayed this way _forever_ if he did!"

"I _told_ you we should've stopped him when we had the chance!" the red teacup, Tikki, exclaimed. "Now the Master's going to trap him in the dungeon!"

"Oh, please," Plagg said. "What if he _was_ sent by the Enchantress? How else would he have known that the rose was in here?"

"The Enchantress promised that she wouldn't mess with this—" Tikki argued, but was unfortunately cut off by her fellow teacup.

"You think she'd stay true to her word?" Plagg countered.

"Well—"

"Guys, _stop_!" the candelabra, Nino, shouted, his flames blazing as he did so. This did well to silence the two bickering cups, who hid behind Alya out of fear. "Just give Prince Adrien some time to cool off. That's all we can do now."

* * *

Outside, Tom's horse heard its owner's sickening scream and stood up out of panic. It looked up at the castle in worry, then back at the open iron gates. It looked back and forth between the castle and the gates before turning around to run out of the castle's territory.

It looked back one last time, memorizing the castle's features and promising its owner to return to him with some help. The horse ran blindly into the forest, hoping to find its way back to the village.

* * *

"Where could he be?" Marinette asked worriedly, pacing back and forth in her living room. "He should've been back by now!"

She eyed the clock on the wall, reading eight-thirty in the evening. Her father left at nine in the morning—he should've been back four hours ago.

"Maybe he's just staying somewhere for the night," Marinette said to herself. "Yes, that's right. He'll be back by tomorrow. I have nothing to worry about. Something probably came up."

Before heading up the stairs, Marinette heard neighing coming from her backyard as well as a loud crash. She rushed to the back upon hearing the noise, eyes widening when she spotted her father's horse—but not her father. The animal neighed violently, kicking its back legs in all directions and sometimes knocking over pails and tools sitting on top of the stable's rails.

"Woah, boy!" Marinette exclaimed, holding the horse down. "What's wrong? Where's papa?"

The horse neighed, nodding its head in the direction of the forest. Marinette's eyes widened, realizing that something terrible must have happened to him. She ran into the house, grabbing a dark red cape that matched with her bright red dress, then hopped onto the horse's back.

"What happened? Where is he?" Marinette asked. "You have to take me to him!"

The horse turned itself around and ran back into the forest at full speed, having memorized the way to the castle. The carrots Tom left behind were thankfully just enough for a trip back and forth.

"Hang on, papa," Marinette thought worriedly. "I'm coming."

* * *

 **A/N:** I've always wondered what would've happened if Belle touched the rose. Would she have just accidentally knocked off a few petals, leaving less time for the Beast to break the spell? Or would the rose have died? Or would have nothing happened? We will never know.

Nino is Lumiere, Alya is Mrs Potts, and Plagg and Tikki are Chip's! I only wanted to include the main friend group (plus the kwamis), so since there wasn't a fifth person to be Cogsworth, I gave Nino a little bit of Cogsworth's personality (well, anyone would become Cogsworth if you had two little teacups constantly arguing LOL).

Thank you for reading!


	4. New Home

**Falling Rose Petals**

Chapter 03

 **New Home**

Marinette looked up at the castle with fear written all over her face. In this part of the forest, the air was colder, the sky darker, the atmosphere a thousand times more sinister. The castle stretched up to the skies above, and gargoyles crouched in every corner of the roof. She hopped off her horse's back, and slowly approached the iron gates.

She turned to the horse. "Papa's… trapped in there?" she asked, and the horse only neighed in response, nodding its head forward.

Marinette gulped, turning back to the castle. She walked up the stairs, knocking on the doors with her fist. The door opened up slowly, and she took a step inside with a hammering heart.

"Hello? Papa?" Marinette called out. "Are you in here?"

Her voice just happened to catch the attention of a certain teapot.

* * *

"Hey! Break it up, you two!" Nino exclaimed, separating Tikki and Plagg. The two teacups had gotten into another argument, which lead to Plagg using physical violence to get back at what the red teacup had said about him.

"Let me at her, let me at her!" the black teacup barked, and the red one retaliated by sticking her tongue out at him.

Having had enough of the two children, Nino intensified his flames, burning the two. Both teacups hopped around yelping at the pain that disappeared three seconds later.

"What the heck was that for?!" Plagg complained.

"That hurt!" Tikki exclaimed.

"That was the only thing I could think of to shush both of you!" Nino scolded, making both teacups turn away from him with a pout. "Ten years later, and the two of you still act like children—"

"There's a girl in the castle!" an excited voice exclaimed, and an auburn-colored teapot jumped off the table above them, landing on the candelabra. Nino's flames blew out when his face hit the cold floor, and both Tikki and Plagg looked at each other before bursting into laughter.

"Oh boy," Plagg said, tired from all his laughing. "Perfect timing, Alya! I was getting tired of hearing Nino—"

"Didn't you hear me?" Alya interrupted. "There's a _girl_ in the castle!"

"What?" Tikki, Plagg and Nino exclaimed at the same time. "A _girl_?"

As if on cue, a feminine voice called out, "Papa?" from the hallways, and the four talking objects all turned in the direction the voice came from just in time to see a girl pass by the room they were in. Nino hopped over to the door and peeked out to make sure his eyes weren't deceiving him.

"It _is_ a girl!" Nino exclaimed, his smile growing wider at each passing second.

"Do you know what this means?" Alya asked, nudging the candelabra when she approached him.

"She's the one—"

"The one we've been waiting for—"

"The one who has come to break the spell!" Nino and Alya finished at the same time excitedly, grinning at each other before looking back out the door to see where the girl was headed.

"Oh, just get married already," Plagg rolled his eyes, making Tikki giggle.

* * *

"Papa?" Marinette called out, looking into every open door in the corridor. "Hello?"

Grinning, Alya and Nino pushed open the door leading to the dungeon. The door creaked open, catching the black-haired girl's attention. Marinette whipped her head around, and looked into the opened door. She caught sight of a small flicker of light disappearing as it climbed up the stairs, making her eyes widen with hope.

"E-excuse me!" she cried out, rushing up the stairs to follow the light. "Wait! I'm looking for my father, please help me!"

When she climbed all the way up the stairs, her face twisted in confusion to find no one there. She looked around the place, observing a dark and freezing cold dungeon. The room was dimly lit, with torches on the wall as the only source of illumination. Drops of water dripped from the ceiling, creating puddles of water on the stone-cold floors.

"That's weird… I swear I saw someone…" Marinette trailed off, a cloud forming at her mouth while she spoke due to the chill in the air. "Papa?"

"Marinette?" came her father's voice.

"Papa!" she exclaimed as she rushed over to the cell her father was imprisoned in. "There you are! I've been so worried!"

"Marinette, h-how did you f-find m-me?" Tom shivered, reaching out a hand to cup his daughter's cheek. "Why did you come?"

"Your hands are like ice," she said worriedly as her father's question fell on deaf ears. "I need to get you out of here!"

"No, Marinette, you have to leave," Tom coughed. "You don't understand—"

"Who's done this to you?"

"No time to explain! You have to leave now!"

"I'm not leaving without you!"

"What are you doing here?!" a voice, albeit sounding more self-conscious than intimidating, suddenly boomed, startling Marinette and her father.

"Marinette, run!" Tom screamed desperately. "Run for your life!"

"Who's there?" Marinette asked, her heart pounding violently in her chest as she turned her head in every direction in hopes of finding the owner of that voice. "Who are you?"

"The—what?" There were a couple of whispers, followed by a silence, then: "The Master of this castle."

"I've come for my father. Please let him out," Marinette begged. "He needs me!"

"Were you sent by the Enchantress as well?" they asked with a worried voice.

"Enchantress?" Marinette asked, her face twisted in confusion. "No! I've just come for my father!"

There was silence for several seconds, when the beast spoke once more, and said, "Even so, I cannot do that. I'm sorry."

"Wh-why?" she cried. "What has he done to deserve this?"

"He was on his way to _steal_ something precious from me," they answered. "If I had arrived three seconds later, then… I…"

"Please, is there anything I can do?" she pleaded. "I'll do _anything_! Just please let my father go!"

The whispers returned, and the voice answered, "There's nothing you can do. He's now my prisoner."

Adrien turned his back on her, and began walking away in the direction of the exit. His face showed guilt and he bit his lip when he heard the girl cry out, "Wait!"

The beast looked over his shoulder at her cry.

"Take… take me instead."

Adrien's cat ears drooped down at her words—he _knew_ she was going to say that. "You… would take his place?"

Ignoring the cries of her father, Marinette replied, "If I did… would you let him go?"

"I—your father—" There were whispers once more. Which each phrase, Adrien's confidence seemed to diminish. "…Yes, I would. But you must promise to stay here… forever."

"Come into the light," she ordered. Adrien hesitantly walked into the circle of light shining through a hole on the ceiling, revealing his monstrous form. Marinette gasped at the sight of him, turning away in fear.

"No, Marinette! I won't let you do it!" her father cried.

Marinette stood up and walked over to Adrien. With a heavy heart, she promised, "You have my word."

"Done."

Adrien walked past her to unlock Tom's dungeon cell. Marinette fell to the floor, not believing what she had just done. Before the tears escaped her eyes, she felt two hands grip her shoulders, and turned to face her father.

"You can say your final goodbyes," Adrien said. "Don't try to escape together or… or…" He didn't finish his sentence, and only disappeared down the stairs.

"Marinette, listen to me—I'm old, I've lived my life—" Tom tried to reason with his daughter. "You still have _years_ ahead of you! Don't spend it stuck in here!"

"Papa, it's all right," Marinette cried, the tears flowing down her eyes. "You have a bakery to run—"

"The bakery's the least of my worries right now! I just want you to come back home with me!"

"I've already made a promise to him, papa," Marinette choked. "I have to keep it; otherwise we'd both get hurt."

She wrapped her arms around her father and sobbed, knowing that this was probably the last time she was ever going to see him. She gasped when her father was suddenly yanked out of her arms, and she looked up to find him being held up by a walking contraption of sorts. It picked it up with its wooden arms—or legs?—and shoved him inside.

"Wait!" Marinette cried, watching in horror as it began walking off with her father. Tom's cries could be heard from the other side. " _Wait_!"

The walking machine walked down the stairs, and Marinette could only follow it down the stairs and corridors for she wasn't strong enough to stop it from walking. When it exited the castle, the doors slammed shut, and Marinette pounded on the wooden doors with her formidable fists before falling to the ground and sobbing.

"It's been given orders to safely bring him back to your village," a soft voice came from behind.

Marinette turned around to see the beast stand meters away holding a candelabra in his hand, his green eyes looking down at the floor. The more she stared at him, the more Adrien grew self-conscious of his beastly form.

"Show her to her room," Nino whispered.

"I-I'll show you to your room," he stuttered, turning around. Marinette got up on her feet without a word and followed behind with sadness written all over her face.

Adrien looked over his shoulder just in time to see her wiping away a few tears. He frowned; this was not what he had wanted.

"I hope you like it here."

"Hm."

"This is your new home now, so you can go wherever you want. But please try to avoid the West Wing."

"Sure."

He stopped there.

Upon reaching her room in the East Wing, Adrien opened the door for her, revealing a bedroom far bigger and luxurious than the one she had back at home. The bed was well-made with pink covers, and the walls were the color of soft lavender. Matching pink and lavender pillows rested on the bed, and a nice big wardrobe sat next to the bed. A large, rectangular window provided light from the outside into the room, and outside, Marinette saw little snowflakes falling from the sky.

"If you need anything, my servants will attend to you," Prince Adrien said.

"Invite her to dinner," Nino whispered quietly enough so that Marinette wouldn't hear.

"And… if you would…" he said nervously. "Please join me for dinner."

With that, he closed the door, leaving Marinette all by herself. She immediately ran over to her bed and collapsed on top of it. She sobbed quietly, soaking the sheets with her tears. She already lost her mother, but now, she lost her dreams, her freedom, and her father. She did want much more than a provincial life, but _this_ wasn't what she had in mind at all.

 _Knock, knock, knock._

"Who is it?" Marinette asked, turning to the door.

"It's Alya! I'm here to bring you some hot tea," a voice from the other side of the room said. Marinette stood up and walked over to the door. When she opened it up, she was confused when she found no one standing there.

"Down here!"

Marinette looked down to find an auburn-colored teapot and a little red teacup sitting on top of a tray. The tray rolled into her room without being pushed by anyone, surprising her greatly.

"Thank you!" Alya exclaimed with a smile.

"But, you're a… you can't…" Marinette began, backing up until she bumped into a large wardrobe sitting next to the bed.

"Ah, be careful!" said the wardrobe, startling her. Marinette sat down on the bed, clutching her head.

"Had a good nap, Mylene?" Alya asked the cabinet, who responded by nodding.

"Wait, how? This is impossible…" Marinette trailed off. "How are you all…? I mean…"

"Long story short," Alya began, pouring some jasmine tea into the little red teacup. "We've been cursed by some blonde b—"

" _Witch_ ," Tikki interrupted, sending Alya a look of disapproval. Their roles switched for a good second there, making Marinette chuckle.

"Fine, _witch_ —and now we're talking furniture and Prince Adrien's a beast. Sounds pretty fairytale-ish, doesn't it?" Alya finished pouring the tea into the scarlet teacup, who hopped its way to their guest.

"Hello, Marinette!" she exclaimed. "I'm Tikki!"

"Nice to meet you, Tikki," Marinette smiled, picking it up. She took a sip from the cup, sighing in content at the warmth it brought her. "Thank you."

"You were really brave back there," Alya told Marinette. "Please do forgive the Prince for what he did."

"He has his reasons for doing so," Mylene said.

"What do you mean?" Marinette asked. After she did, all the enchanted items turned to each other with nervous looks on their faces. "What are his reasons?"

"That's a story that should be saved for another time," Alya said. The teapot then turned to the wardrobe, telling her, "Why don't we get her dressed up for dinner?"

"Ah, yes! Let's see," Mylene began, making Marinette turn to her. "What dresses do I have for you in my drawers?" The wardrobe opened them up, eyes widening when moths flew right out of them. Mylene blushed a deep red and continued, "How embarrassing. A-anyways, here! I think you'd look nice in red with black polka-dots." She pointed over at the dress she was talking about with a grin on her face.

"That's very kind of you, all of you," Marinette said. "But I'm not going to dinner."

* * *

"Oh, cheer up already, would you?"

Prince Adrien was sitting in his chair in the dining room, his face buried in his hands. He felt so ashamed for what he said to Marinette in the dungeon, wanting nothing more but to take back his words. Plagg sat on the table in front of him, sighing in annoyance at how much of a sensitive _softie_ the Prince could be, while Nino looked down at him worriedly.

"I can't believe," Adrien began. "I actually listened to you."

" _Hey_ —if you didn't, she'd be long gone by now and there'd be no way we'd be able to break the spell in time," Plagg argued. "Where's my _thank you_?"

"Plagg's right, Prince Adrien," Nino said. "It was the only way."

"She must hate me," Adrien said. "She probably doesn't want anything to do with me. I wouldn't blame her if she didn't even come down to eat."

Plagg groaned. "Just fall in love already so I can get my arms back to smack you over the head."

"What makes you say that, Prince?" Nino asked. "Why wouldn't she come down?"

"You saw the way she looked at me," Adrien frowned. "She's so beautiful, and I'm… I'm…"

"You have to help her see past your appearance," the candelabra said. "It's what's on the inside that counts, after all."

The door creaked open, exciting both Plagg and Nino who exclaimed, "She's here!" However, instead of Marinette, Alya and Tikki appeared from behind the door, making Plagg and Nino's face fall.

"Oh, it's just you two," Plagg said flatly, earning him a glare from the red teacup. "Where's the girl? She's supposed to be here by now."

"A-about that… Marinette is—well, she's—" Alya stumbled over her words, biting her lip. "She's not coming."

" _WHAT_?!" the black teacup and the candelabra screeched. "Why not?!"

"Please understand," the teapot started in hopes of calming her friends down. "She lost both her father and freedom in the same day. She needs some time to heal."

"That's the problem—there's no time at all!" Plagg yelled, jumping down from his place on the table. He hopped over to Alya and Tikki, screaming, "The rose has already begun to _wilt_!" He hopped past them and out the door, earning questioning glances.

"Plagg, what are you doing?" Tikki called out after him.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" the black teacup snapped. "I'm giving that girl a piece of my mind!"

"No, Plagg! Didn't you just hear what Alya said?" Tikki asked, following him.

"Of course I did!" he said, hopping up the stairs one by one. "And I don't care! I've been stuck in this stupid body for ten years already— _ten years_! Give me my human form back!"

"You don't think _I_ want to be human again?!" Tikki fought, following him up the swirling staircase. "You don't think Prince Adrien wants to be human again too?!"

"Oh, I know he does! I know him far more than any of you!" Plagg shouted back. "And I know he's too much of a _scaredy-cat_ to do anything! At this rate, we'll be stuck like this forever, and all because he's too wimpy to make the first move!"

Upon reaching the guest room, Plagg slammed his body onto the door and yelled, "Hey, Marinade or whatever! Come out and eat dinner—"

The black teacup was caught off when a force hit him and sent him rolling away. He looked up to see Tikki glaring at him fiercely.

" _Marinette_ needs some time alone!" the red teacup screamed. "Leave her alone!"

" _Oho_ , I see you've declared war on me again," Plagg said, standing back up. He charged at his opponent and threw himself over her, and both cups fought each other, clinking together violently.

"She needs time alone!"

"No, she needs time with _Prince Adrien_!"

" _Enough_ ," a voice roared, startling both Tikki and Plagg. The little teacups cowered at the sound, turning around to find their Prince walking towards them with Alya and Nino in his arms. Tikki looked down ashamedly, while Plagg just stared up at him unintimidated. Adrien set the candelabra and teapot down and looked up at the door before him.

"I understand you need time by yourself," Adrien said softly. "Please head down to the dining room if ever you get hungry. My servants will bring you some food."

The beast then turned around and began walking in the direction of his room in the West Wing.

"Prince Adrien, are _you_ not hungry?" Alya asked.

"Please bring the food to my room," he replied. "I'll eat my dinner in there."

When Adrien reached his room, he sat himself down on the chair next to the table the enchanted rose floated above.

"I'm just fooling myself…" Adrien mumbled to himself as he stared at the mystical flower. "She'll never see me as anything… but a monster."

He buried his face in his hands when another red petal fell, piling up with the other fallen petals.

"It's hopeless."

* * *

 **A/N:** DID YOU GUYS WATCH THE FINAL EPISODE OF SEASON 1?!

First of all, I hate Lila/Volpina, and second of all, OH MY GOSH JUST WOW IT WAS SUCH A GOOD WAY TO END THE SEASON. I can't wait for Season 2 okay I swear I'm going to have a mental breakdown sometime during the wait.

Anyways, yes I love Plagg a lot and he doesn't get enough screen time. I'm always so sad when they don't let him speak and just cut to Adrien's transformation. ;-; So, here's a sassy Plagg and he talks a lot LOL.

Thank you for reading!


	5. Be Our Guest

**Falling Rose Petals**

Chapter 04

 **Be Our Guest**

"I understand you need time by yourself," Adrien said softly from the other side of the door. "Please head down to the dining room if ever you get hungry. My servants will bring you some food."

Marinette was thankful for the beast's understanding, and walked over to her bed after hearing his words. She crawled underneath her sheets in hopes of falling asleep, and she could only hope that this was all just a bad dream and that she'd wake up again in her home in the village.

"You know," Mylene began, getting ready to sleep as well. "The Prince is anything but mean. You just have to get to know him." Marinette remained silent, and the wardrobe took this as a sign that she had already fallen asleep. Mylene sighed, "Good night, Marinette."

* * *

Marinette couldn't fall asleep.

First of all, it was hard to fall asleep after the day's events. And second of all, she was _starving_. If the constant rumbling of her stomach didn't say so, then she didn't know what did.

It was eleven in the evening—a little over two hours after she traded her freedom from her father's, and an hour after getting into bed—and the last time she ate was at six in the evening. She didn't even get to eat very much because she was so busy worrying over why it was taking her father so long to get home.

"Should I get out of bed," Marinette began out loud, lying face down on her bed. "Or starve?"

 _Grumble_.

"I'm getting out of bed."

Marinette quietly got out of bed and made her way to the door of her room. She twisted the doorknob slowly and quietly in hopes of not waking up the napping wardrobe. She opened it wide enough to squeeze herself through, and then shut the door behind her when she managed to step out.

Marinette roamed the empty hallways, going up and down staircases to look for the kitchen to grab a quick snack. But she walked for too long, and couldn't find it at all. Just as she was about to give up and head back to her room, she heard voices nearby. She followed them, and found herself standing in front of a door that was ajar. She peeked into it and saw Tikki, Alya, the same candelabra Adrien was holding when he led her to her room, and an unfamiliar black teacup.

"We get it, Plagg," Tikki sighed exasperatedly.

"No, you _don't_ , Tikki!" Plagg exclaimed, cutting her off. "I haven't had camembert cheese in ten years and if I have to go the rest of my _life_ without it, then just—just push me off the Eiffel Tower!"

"You're over-exaggerating again," Alya said. "And quit worrying already. I _know_ Marinette's going to be—"

"Going to be what?" Marinette asked, entering the room, and startling the talking items. She couldn't stand by any longer—her stomach just wouldn't stop grumbling.

"—hungry!" the candelabra said hastily, rushing to her side. "Am I right, _mademoiselle_?"

Marinette knelt down to be able to speak to each one of them clearer. Alya and Tikki approached her, and so did Plagg, who each had nervous smiles on their faces. She wondered why, but dismissed it as unimportant. Her hunger was top priority at this moment.

"I don't think I've introduced myself yet," the candelabra said, waving a hand (or candle). "I'm Nino. It's nice to meet you, Marinette! I hope you like it here."

After Nino's introduction, all items turned to Plagg, who stood further back with a flat look on his face.

"What?" he huffed, earning him looks of disapproval from Alya and Tikki, and a sigh of exasperation from Nino.

"That's Plagg," Alya said, nodding at her little teacup. "He's a bit of a grump."

"I am _not_!" Plagg argued childishly. He then turned to Marinette and huffed, "Do _you_ know how it feels to not be able to eat _camembert_ in ten years?"

"I do, actually," Marinette said, making Plagg's eyes widen. "It's rare to find camembert in the few little villages I've been to. I remember trying it only once a few years back, and it was _really_ delicious."

Plagg eyes sparkled. "It is, isn't it?" he asked excitedly. He then gave her a smile, "I like you. When I'm human again, I'll give you a nice quarter of my camembert block—"

At this, Marinette's stomach grumbled audibly, making her turn red.

"Oh, forgive us! You must be hungry!" Alya cried, hopping over to Marinette's side. She then turned her head around, and ordered, "Start the fire, break out the silver, wake the china!"

The kitchen obeyed her instantly; fire blazed on the stove, cabinets opened up to reveal shining utensils, and dinner plates hopped out of the cupboards.

"Oh no, a little snack would be fine!" Marinette exclaimed, waving her hands before her. "I don't want to cause any trouble!"

"Trouble?" Nino asked. "It's no trouble at all! You're our guest!"

"We have to make you feel welcomed here!" Tikki grinned, jumping up and down adorably.

"Exactly! The dining room's this way. Come on, Marinette," Alya said, leading the way as they all followed closely behind.

The dining room was completely dark, when a spotlight suddenly appeared on top of the long, rectangular table. Marinette sat herself down at the very end, and watched as Nino appeared from the shadows and to the middle of the circle of light.

"But of course, what's a little dinner without…" Nino grinned. "Music?"

"Oh, this is going to be good," Plagg whispered, nudging Marinette's arm. She looked down to find the teapot and the two teacups sitting near the edge of the table to be able to watch the show.

"Well, Marinette. It's with great pleasure that we welcome you tonight," Nino began. "I, as well as the dining room, would like to present you… your dinner!"

Delicious food came running down the table, allowing Marinette to take a bite of every single plate that passed by. From light appetizers like aligot and cheese fondue, to heavy meals like gigot d'agneau pleureur and blanquette de veau, Marinette was now enjoying a nice little Mont Blanc cake and an assortment of colorful macarons.

When she was all done, she even found herself humming along and clapping as Nino and the other servants sang, making her dinner extremely special and making her feel extremely welcomed. When they all finished their performance, Marinette clapped as the items all started walking back to their drawers.

"Bravo! That was wonderful!" Marinette complimented, while Tikki jumped up and down beside her.

"Great song, Nino!" Alya cheered, clinking the little cover on her head as her way of applauding. "I wonder just _how_ many years you've been waiting to sing that song."

"Meh," Plagg said, lying in the crook of Marinette's arm. "I've heard better."

"Thank you, thank you," Nino said, bowing. "Oh man, how I've missed performing."

"H-how was the food?" a little flower vase holding a pink rose asked shyly upon approaching Marinette. "Did you like it?"

"Like it? I loved it!" Marinette exclaimed with the happiest grin on her face. She carefully placed her finished plate on the rolling cart and thanked it as it left to bring her plate to the back. Marinette then turned back to the flower vase and exclaimed, "It was delicious! I've never eaten such great food in all my life!"

The little vase smiled. "I'm glad you liked it! I'll make sure that you enjoy every meal during your stay!"

"Good work, Rose," Alya smiled to the flower vase. Rose giggled before making her way to the back of the kitchen to help clean up.

"I don't know about you, but I'm _exhausted_ ," Plagg yawned, snuggling closer into Marinette's arm.

"All you did was lie around all day," Tikki said flatly.

"I know. And it's _very_ exhausting, mind you," Plagg replied, making the red teacup roll her eyes. He then looked up at Marinette with innocent eyes and asked, "Carry me?"

Marinette rolled her eyes, but was unable to suppress the smile that graced her lips. When Plagg let out another yawn, she found herself yawning too.

"I'm a bit tired too," Marinette said. She looked down at her new friends and asked, "Do you guys mind bringing me to my room? I think I'll get lost trying to find my way."

"Of course!" Nino exclaimed, looking over at the clock. "Geez, I didn't even notice how late it's gotten. You should get to bed right away so that you can wake up early to have breakfast with Prince Adrien!"

Marinette's smile faded away at the mention of Adrien. Alya took notice of this and gave the candelabra a stern look, who cowered under her gaze.

"He isn't as bad as you think, Marinette," Alya comforted. "Prince Adrien is actually very kind and gentle."

"She's right, you know," Nino added, nodding. "We've known him forever. He's a very good person."

"A very good person wouldn't trap my father, and then decide to keep me as his prisoner once he's set him free," Marinette frowned.

"Prince Adrien has his reasons for doing so," Alya defended. The teapot didn't want Marinette to think that he was a beast. He may be on the inside, but on the inside, he was far from one. "Your father nearly doomed us all."

"What do you mean?" Marinette asked.

"Come on," Nino said, nodding to the door. "We'll explain it on the way."

* * *

While walking Marinette to her bedroom, the talking items told her the story of the Enchantress, the spell, the time limit. It wasn't Prince Adrien's fault at all—the Enchantress' heart was just so black and unkind, and everyone in this castle had to pay the price of her greed. It was unfair that they were bound to this cursed fate.

"So if my father touched the rose…" Marinette began.

"The rose would've fallen dead," Alya finished. "The Enchantress warned us of that before she left. The Prince reacted that way because he thought your father was sent to kill it."

"I understand, don't worry. I'm just… sorry. I should've let him explain all this to me rather than not even showing up to dinner," Marinette apologized.

"It's all right. It's been a long day for all of us," Nino replied. "And we all did kind of figure that you needed some time to process all this."

"Is there any way to break the spell?" Marinette asked.

"We can't tell," Tikki answered sadly. "All we can tell you is that we have until the last petal to break it."

"And the rose already began wilting, so…" Plagg groaned. "Just be friends with the kitty cat, would you?"

"I'll try," Marinette said, putting the black teacup down when they made it to her bedroom door. "Well, thank you all for walking me to my room. Good night."

"Good night, Marinette," Nino, Alya, Tikki and Plagg said all together. "See you in the morning."

* * *

"Don't worry, Prince Adrien. We made it sound like you were the greatest person out there even though you're the opposite."

"Thanks, Plagg."

Adrien waited nervously at the dining table for Marinette to arrive. The entire kitchen staff went all-out and prepared too much food. The amount of breakfast on the table was obviously too much for just two people, but he couldn't blame them. The only person they've ever cooked for was for Prince Adrien himself, so they were all obviously excitedly when they found out about their new visitor.

" _In other words_ , Prince Adrien," Tikki said, glaring at the black teacup. "We told her the truth. You _are_ a good person."

After this, the door of the dining room creaked open and in came Marinette. She was wearing the same dress from yesterday, and her hair was tied into two neat pigtails. She made her way to the table without looking up, and sat down upon reaching her seat.

"Good morning," Adrien greeted.

"Good morning," Marinette mumbled. She looked up to take a proper look at him, expecting to be frightened just like the very first time she laid her eyes on him, but she wasn't. She found herself looking into his green eyes, and in them, she found warmth. He was the opposite of frightening, and she really was starting to believe what Nino, Alya, Tikki and Plagg said about him.

Without another word, she took her plate and filled it up with food. Adrien did so as well, but while he did so, he accidentally brushed his hand against hers.

Adrien's hand immediately retreated. "I'm sorry," he apologized.

"It's all right," Marinette said, putting her plate down.

They ate in silence, and once they were done, Marinette excused herself. She got up from her seat, thanked him for the food, then turned her back on him and headed for the door.

"Stop her," Nino whispered to Adrien.

"W-wait," Adrien managed to say. Marinette stopped walking and turned to face him. Adrien shrunk under her gaze, growing more and more self-conscious as the seconds passed.

The beast stood up from his seat, and made his way over to her. He had to talk to her—he had to make her feel welcomed. It wasn't a matter of breaking the spell or not—Adrien just wanted a _friend_.

He didn't want to be lonely anymore.

"I believe I haven't introduced myself properly. I'm Adrien," Adrien said, holding out his paw. He looked down at it and frowned, and dropped it instantly. He didn't think that she would want to shake such a monstrous hand.

But Marinette took his paw with her two hands and shook it.

"I'm Marinette," she said, giving him a small smile. "It's nice to meet you, Adrien."

Adrien looked down at her with a surprised expression on his face, which soon softened after realizing what was happening. And for the first time in years…

He smiled.

* * *

 **A/N:** Marinette's friendship with Adrien is off to a small start, but next chapter is when their interactions actually begin! I've already written it, so it'll be out fairly soon. I just have to edit it. :)

Thank you all so much for the faves and reviews! I absolutely love reading them, and I really hope you guys stick around until the very end!


	6. Something There

**Falling Rose Petals**

Chapter 05

 **Something There**

"Marinette, why do you always insist on wearing that same red dress?"

"It's the last dress I made before I got here. It reminds me of home."

Mylene frowned and closed her drawers before continuing, "I understand. I was just hoping you'd try on one of these dresses for a change."

"Why don't you wear something different? Your red dress probably needs to be washed too," Alya added, hopping over to the conflicted Marinette. "Just for tonight. We'll have it cleaned and washed, and it'll be good as new by tomorrow. What do you say?"

 _Knock, knock, knock_.

Marinette opened up the door to reveal Tikki, who grinned up at her with such innocence and childlike wonder. She hopped into the room and stopped next to her mother figure, Alya.

"Good evening, Marinette! Dinner's all ready," Tikki greeted, eyes trailing down to her dress. "Oh, I'm sorry! You're not done dressing up yet! I'll tell Prince Adrien right away—"

"No, no," Marinette interrupted, clutching the skirts of her red dress. "I'm done, actually."

"You are?" the young teacup asked in confusion. "But you wear that dress all the time!"

"That's what I said!" Mylene intervened. She opened up one of her drawers, picked out a light pink dress from one of her racks and nudged their guest, "Come on, Marinette. What about a change for once?"

"But…" Marinette started.

"Please?"

Marinette sighed and took the dress out of the wardrobe's hands.

* * *

"I'm sorry for taking so long," Marinette apologized upon entering the dining room with Alya and Tikki in her arms. She carefully put them down on the floor, and then proceeded to take her seat at the table that was opposite from Adrien.

He immediately noticed her change of attire, noting, "You're wearing a different dress today."

"Oh, really? I haven't noticed," Plagg said sassily, receiving a glare from the Prince himself.

"Huh? Oh, yes," Marinette said, looking down at her new clothes. "Mylene, Alya and Tikki all suggested that I wear something different."

"I see."

"Compliment her," Plagg coughed.

"I mean, it looks really nice on you," Adrien said sincerely, to which Marinette responded by giving him a little, awkward smile.

Carts came rolling in to serve them their food, and both the beauty and beast thanked the servants once the food had been placed on the table. Adrien and Marinette filled their plates up with food and ate in silence.

Adrien felt somewhat stressed and very uncomfortable in comparison to the calm and comfortable Marinette. Since his friends didn't eat (obviously—who had ever heard of a candelabra, teapot or teacup that could _eat_?), they all decided to occupy themselves by watching his every move.

"Strike up a conversation," Nino suggested in a low whisper, unable to take the silence anymore. "Ask her questions. Learn more about her, and tell her about yourself too!"

"Geez, do we have to tell you everything?" Plagg ridiculed, which earned him a stern look from Alya for being so rude.

"So… why the change of dress all of a sudden?" Adrien tried, earning nods from Alya, Nino and Tikki, but a shake of the head from Plagg. "Or, uh, why do you always wear the red one?"

Adrien noticed Marinette pause.

"Well… you see," she began. "That red one was the last dress I made before I got here. It brings memories of home."

"You made that dress?" Adrien asked in awe.

"Yes," Marinette responded.

"Th-that's amazing!" Adrien suddenly exclaimed, surprising Marinette. "You're really talented!" Marinette stared at him from her side of the table, making Adrien realize his unexpected exclamation. "O-oh, uh… I'm sorry about that."

"No, no, it's fine," Marinette said. "It's just… this is the first time I've actually seen you… well, not brooding."

Adrien scratched the back of his head with his paw, laughing. "Well… um, what got you into sewing?"

"I think it happened shortly after I read a book," Marinette started. "It was a book about clothing and design, and it really interested me. So, on days when my father didn't need my help in the bakery, I'd be in my room practicing with the help of my books. I'd make clothes for the two of us with the sewing machines and fabric my mother left behind. Clothes are pretty expensive, so I figured making them would save us some money."

"You… like reading too?" Adrien asked.

Marinette's face instantly brightened. "Of course, who doesn't?"

They discussed their favorite books and authors while they ate, oftentimes reciting their favorite passages. Marinette never realized how _easy_ it was to talk to Adrien, and she was starting to believe what her friends had told her on the first day at the castle—Adrien really was very kind.

"I'll walk you to your room," Adrien said when they finished their dinner. His face suddenly flushed. "If you'd let me, that is."

Marinette smiled.

"Sure."

Adrien and Marinette thanked the servants for the meal, and stood up from their seats. When they exited the room side by side, Plagg tried to follow, but was stopped by Alya.

"What?" Plagg asked.

Alya smiled. "Let's leave them alone."

* * *

"You lost your mother too?" Adrien asked.

Marinette nodded. "She died of illness when I was about five years old," she replied. "The last thing she gave me before she passed away was these earrings." She tucked a few strands of her midnight hair behind her ear to show them to him. They were red, circular earrings with five black polka-dots on them, resembling a little ladybug.

"At least you still have your father," Adrien said quietly. "And at least he loves you."

"What do you mean?" she asked, turning to look at him. He had on a solemn look on his face, making her wonder what could have possibly happened that made this very subject so sensitive to him.

"Well, basically, I never met my mother," Adrien frowned. "She died giving birth to me, so it had always just been Father and me. But he was the King, so he obviously had many responsibilities. He always neglected me and always put his duties before me. I was… lonely."

Marinette said nothing, so he continued, "I mean, I had Nino, Alya, Tikki and Plagg, but sometimes, you just need your father or mother's care, right? I just… wanted my father to love me."

"I'm sure he did," Marinette tried, but Adrien just shook his head, laughing sadly.

"He didn't even care to learn anything about me. He didn't know the slightest thing about me. Not my hobbies, or tastes, or preferences—nothing. The only time he ever talked to me was when he taught me the duties of the kingdom. He cared more about the kingdom than his own son," Adrien frowned. "I guess it's understandable, but… it hurt. And when he died, my feeling of loneliness was just stronger than ever before. Just like your mother, he at least left me something behind."

Adrien held up his hand to show her the ring on his ring finger. It was black as coal, and shone brightly under the light of the chandeliers above them. On top of it was the design of a cat's paw print in silver.

"But every time I look at it, it just reminds me of him, and…" Adrien trailed off, sighing. "I feel like he blamed me for my mother's death. That was probably why he hated me so much. I deserve this loneliness."

Marinette placed a comforting hand on Adrien's shoulder, making him flinch. He slowly turned his head to look at her, and instantly felt his face heat up the moment he locked eyes with her. She was so beautiful, and he…

Adrien turned away from her gaze, eyes trailing down to the floor as they continued walking to Marinette's room.

"Don't say that," Marinette said while shaking her head and keeping her hand on his shoulder. "You don't deserve to be lonely. No one does."

A ghost of a smile appeared on the Prince's face.

When they arrived at her room's door, Marinette opened the door to her room and said, "Good night."

Before she disappeared behind it, Adrien stopped her. "Marinette, wait," he said.

She looked up at him. "Yes?"

"Would you say…" Adrien began quietly. "That we're… friends?"

Marinette was shocked at first to hear such an innocent question coming from him. But then she remembered that he had lived in loneliness and isolation for ten years. She was probably the very first friend he had ever made.

"I mean, I know we didn't have a very good start, and I apologize for that," Adrien babbled. "But I'd still like to be friends with you. I mean, I don't want you to feel like a prisoner during your entire stay—"

"Yes, we are, Adrien," Marinette confirmed, smiling. "Good night."

* * *

Adrien and Marinette started talking to each other more often. All initial fear Marinette had around him completely vanished, and she felt a lot more comfortable around him.

"How's life in the village?" Adrien asked on the seventh night. Walking Marinette to her room became routine, and each night, they asked each other questions to learn more about each other. It was because of this that the two have gotten more comfortable around each other. "I've always wondered about that."

"It's… predictable," Marinette replied, placing her arms behind her back. "It can get a bit boring sometimes, but the atmosphere's very nice. We're all neighbors, so we always help one another whenever there's help needed. It's simple and somewhat free, but I'd give anything for a little adventure instead of such a poor, provincial life."

"It'd be nice to experience a life in the village. Life as royalty isn't all sunshine and rainbows, you know. There's so much to study and learn, and the fate of the kingdom rests on your shoulders. It's so stressful and you can be drowning in paperwork if you take even _one_ day off," Adrien sighed. "I remember going to the village once in my entire life, and I was so envious of all the children my age. They all played in the fields without a care in the world, while I was forced to stay inside and study about laws and taxes. Doesn't my childhood sound fun?"

Marinette frowned. "That sounds terrible," she said. "But life in the village isn't so perfect either, you know. It also has its flaws. Want to know a little fact about me?"

"Sure," Adrien said.

"In every village I've moved to, I was an outcast because I liked books," Marinette confessed with a frown. "People were always talking about me wherever I went. They always called me weird."

"That's ridiculous," Adrien said, taken aback by her words. "How could you be treated in such a way for liking _books_? Reading, learning, thinking, creativity, imagination— _intelligence_ is such a good trait! Don't you listen to them no matter how many times they call you weird, _they're_ the weird ones."

Upon realizing that he was rambling, Adrien turned bright red and shrunk under Marinette's gaze.

"S-sorry," he laughed nervously. "I didn't mean to babble or insult any of the villagers, I was just—"

"Thank you, Adrien," Marinette said softly. She smiled up at him, "No one's ever told me that before. Thank you for making me feel better about myself."

Adrien smiled, and scratched the back of his head with his paw. "I'm just telling the truth," Prince Adrien said honestly. They stopped walking when they reached the door to Marinette's room. "Well, good night, Marinette. I'll see you tomorrow for breakfast?"

Marinette nodded. "Good night, Adrien."

Before she closed the door, Adrien added, "Just to let you know… I would've gladly become your friend if I were a villager. Don't think you're alone."

She smiled. "Thank you. I would've become your friend too, beast or not."

* * *

One sunny winter's day, Marinette decided to take advantage of the fine weather by going outside. She walked her horse around the castle's enormous backyard, looking down at the snow with a sad look on her face. She supposed she was enjoying her stay, but she was starting to get homesick, and most of all, she was starting to miss her father. Noticing Marinette's sad expression, the horse nudged her, making her turn to him with a smile. The horse neighed happily as she petted it affectionately.

Adrien watched her from his balcony alongside Nino and Plagg, who stood on the rails. The Prince felt his heart beat increase when he caught sight of her smiling face, and he felt his whole face heat as well. When Marinette started thinking of him as a friend, Adrien, on the other hand, started thinking of her as so much more.

"I've never felt this way about anyone before," Adrien whispered, catching his friends' attention. Nino and Plagg turned to him, but the Prince's eyes were kept locked on Marinette.

"Something tells me you're starting to see her as more than just a friend," Plagg smirked.

"I want to do something for her," Adrien announced with a smile, his cat ears pointing upwards excitedly. His face suddenly fell, and his ears drooped down pathetically. "But what?"

"Camembert?" Plagg asked, which earned him a glare from the Prince. "Calm down, I was just kidding."

"Well, she loves to read, doesn't she?" Nino asked. "The library's looking pretty empty these days, don't you think, Prince Adrien?"

"That's perfect, Nino! It completely slipped my mind!" Adrien exclaimed as he turned to them, making both the candelabra and teacup smile to each other because this was the first time in years that they had seen him look so happy. "That's not enough though."

"Not enough?" Plagg asked. "What are you talking about? That's more than enough! You have _hundreds_ of books in there!"

"I know, but I want to give her _more_ , you know?" Adrien asked, hoping they understood. "I want to make her really happy while she's here."

Adrien continued to watch her from the balcony, his eyes widening when he noticed that she was wearing her red dress again.

"I think I have an idea," Adrien said, rushing out of his room. Nino and Plagg looked at each other and shrugged before hopping off the rails to follow him. They followed him up and down stairs, and through doors, and long corridors, until the Prince finally stopped in front of a door at the end of a hallway.

"Is this what I think it is?" Nino asked with a grin, to which Adrien responded with a nod and a smile.

"Get everyone down here," Adrien ordered. "We have a lot of cleaning up to do."

* * *

"Marinette," Adrien began. "There's something I want to show you."

Marinette found herself looking up at a large, white door with intricate designs on it. After lunch, Adrien had asked her to come with him. When she has asked why, he refused to reply, saying something about a surprise. This fueled her curiosity, and when he led her to a part of the castle that she had never gone to before, her curiosity only strengthened.

With a smile on his face, Adrien cracked open the door, but his expression faltered when he noticed how dark the room was. He closed the door and turned to her, and said, "You have to close your eyes."

"Why?" Marinette asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Like I said, it's a surprise," Adrien responded.

Marinette shrugged and closed her sapphire eyes shut. Adrien waved a hand in front of her face to make sure she wasn't peaking, and when he was certain of it, he opened the door and grabbed her two hands with his paws. He led her into the room, their footsteps echoing throughout the empty hall with each step they took.

"Can I open them?" Marinette asked.

"No, not yet," Adrien grinned.

"You better not try anything funny."

He laughed. "I would never."

Marinette smiled.

When they made it to the center of the room, Adrien stopped walking and let go of her hands. "Wait right here," he ordered before running off. "And no peaking!"

Adrien pulled open all of the curtains with all his might, grinning as sunshine spilled into the room to provide illumination. When the sound of him pulling the curtains ceased, Marinette asked once more, "Now can I open them?"

"All right," Adrien grinned. "Now."

Marinette opened up her eyes and gasped at the enormous library right before her eyes. Hundreds of hard-covered books were stacked neatly on the shelves that seemed to cover every wall. There were ladders and swirling staircases to help reach the books lying on the tallest shelves, and a magnificent fireplace sat at the very bottom.

"I can't believe it!" Marinette exclaimed as she scanned the library with absolute awe and joy. "I've never seen so many books in all my life!"

"Do you like it?" Adrien asked, eyes sparkling.

"Of course! It's wonderful!" she replied, circling around him to take a good look at every corner of the room.

"Then it's yours," Adrien said softly. "All of it."

"Oh, thank you so much," Marinette said as she placed her hands on top of Adrien's, eyes tearful from happiness and joy.

"That's not all," Adrien said, grasping her soft hands and leading her out of the library. "I have one more surprise for you."

"Adrien, this library is more than enough," Marinette said, giving his paws an affectionate squeeze. This shocked Adrien for a split second because he noticed that she didn't shudder at his paw. She continued, "Really, this is more than I could ever ask for."

Adrien shook his head. "Trust me," he said. "You're going to love this one just as much."

He led her out of the grand library and into another room near the end of the same hallway. Marinette looked up at the less extravagant door, but who knew what surprise lay behind this one.

"Do I have to close my eyes again?" Marinette laughed.

Adrien shook his head. "Not this time," he said, pushing open the door to reveal an already lit-up room. The curtains were already pushed aside, pouring sunlight into the room, and Marinette's eyes widened at the sight of what was inside.

On the large mahogany table sitting against the wall sat a sewing machine far greater than the one she had back at home. Numerous rolls of fabric of all colors and designs, as well as sewing tools and equipment lay on the shelves on the cream-colored walls.

"Is this…" Marinette trailed off, taking a step into the room. She walked to the center of the room and stopped to admire it. "…A sewing room?"

Adrien nodded, biting his lip nervously. "You said you liked sewing, so I thought I'd give this room to you too. The seamstresses used to work in this room. They all agreed that you'd appreciate it," he said. "It was a bit dusty and messy, so my servants and I all got together to clean this room up for you."

Marinette remained silent. Adrien couldn't see the look on her face because her back was turned to him, and this made him anxious.

"Marinette?" he asked, taking a step forward. "Do you not—"

Adrien let out a startled gasp when Marinette ran up to him and wrapped her arms around him. He froze in place and panicked that she would feel the pounding of his heart when she buried her face in his chest.

"Thank you, Adrien," Marinette whispered, hugging him tighter. "Thank you so much."

Adrien's eyes widened at her actions, but the expression on his face slowly softened, and he found himself hugging her back.

"Well, would you look at that," Alya beamed. She, Nino, Plagg and Tikki all stood by the open door, watching the scene before them unfold. "There may be something there that wasn't there before."

"Prince Adrien's never looked so happy before," Tikki noted as she observed him. There was a spark in his eyes, which she and the rest of the servants noticed. Adrien appeared so much happier as the days passed. There was a spring in each step he took, and even just one glance of Marinette kept him smiling all day long.

"It's about time he stopped moping around," Plagg commented, smiling at the Prince's change in attitude.

"Come on guys, we should go prepare for tonight's dinner," Nino smiled as he hopped off in the direction of the kitchen. Alya, Tikki and Plagg all took one last glance at the couple before turning around to follow the candelabra.

It was evident that something special was starting to bloom between Adrien and Marinette, and all the servants in the castle were filled with hope once again.

* * *

 **A/N:** I absolutely love the library scene in _Beauty and the Beast_ , but I also wanted to stay true to the characters. Marinette's not much of a bookworm, so I decided to add that sewing room scene too. :)

Thank you **la-hija-de-Dios** for pointing out my grammar error in the last chapter! And thank you everyone for the kind reviews and faves! Thank you for reading!


	7. Human Again

**Falling Rose Petals**

Chapter 06

 **Human Again**

Months passed, and Adrien and Marinette spent most of their time together either in the library or the sewing room. In the library, they read books to each other and shared each other's favorite stories. In the sewing room, Adrien would watch Marinette sew and design new clothes. They were such small, simple moments, but the servants in the castle saw them as so much more.

After finishing their breakfast, Adrien and Marinette decided to go outside to enjoy the sunny morning. Spring was nearing, and so the piles of snow began to shorten and shrink with each passing day. Since yesterday was a rainy day, it helped melt some of the snow, but it of course made it sticky as well.

When Adrien had reverted to his five-year-old self and was in the process of making a snowman, Marinette took a handful of snow and rolled it into a snowball. When she was done, she threw her arm back, aimed, and called out, "Hey, Adrien."

When the beast turned around, she threw the snowball and laughed when it hit him square in the face. Adrien wiped the snow off his face and looked up to see Marinette still laughing. With a smirk on his face, he rolled a watermelon-sized snowball to throw at her, and threw his arm back. But before he could throw it, he was hit with another snowball, causing him to fall back and causing the snowball to fall over his head.

Seeing this, Marinette burst into laughter, and soon, Adrien joined in as well.

"Do I sense a snowball fight?" Plagg hollered, jumping into a pile of snow. Marinette rushed over to the black teacup and picked him up. Plagg shook the snow off of him, "I forgot I was a teacup for a second there."

"Yay, snow!" Tikki exclaimed jumping into a pile of snow at her turn. Marinette picked her up and watched the red teacup shake the snow off of her this time. "I wish I still had my arms so we could all have a snowball fight."

"Me too," Alya sighed as she hopped down the steps to get to Marinette's side.

"I may have arms, but fire is no match for snow," Nino said, hopping onto the snow. He put his two candlesticks on the snow to demonstrate, and they watched as his flames extinguished.

Seeing his friends this way made Adrien frown, when an idea suddenly popped into his mind. He walked over to Marinette and his friends, and picked Plagg up.

"Hey, what gives?!" Plagg shrieked, trying to shake out of the beast's grasp. "Let me go, you over-grown hairball!"

"Work with me, would you?" Adrien glared. He then took Plagg by the handle, and scooped up a cup full of snow, which he then dropped into his palm. He rolled it into a snowball, and then threw it at Marinette, who fell backwards when the snow came in contact with her face. "You guys can still play even without arms. You can prepare the snowballs beforehand!"

"Hey!" Marinette laughed, picking Tikki up. "You'll help _me_ , won't you, Tikki?"

"Of course, Marinette!" the red teacup exclaimed. "I'll scoop up as much snow as I can!"

"SNOWBALL FIGHT!" Nino hollered, making his way to Adrien's side. "LADIES VERSUS GENTLEMEN!"

"Shouldn't you be on the ladies' side then?" Plagg asked Prince Adrien, who shot him a glare. Alya laughed at Plagg's words before heading over to Marinette's side.

A war broke out in the backyard, and the teacups did well to help their captains (Adrien and Marinette) make snowballs. Alya was good with strategies, forming a battle plan in just seconds, to which Marinette followed.

"I've memorized their pattern," Alya said proudly. "Nino is so predictable."

"So, where do I throw the snowball?" Marinette asked, eyeing the tree Adrien and his team were hiding behind. "Left or right?"

"Right," Alya answered. "In three, two, one— _now_!"

As if on cue, Adrien peaked from behind the tree just in time to get hit by Marinette's snowball. Plagg screeched (even though he wasn't the one who got hit) and Nino yelled, "HOW DID YOU KNOW?!"

When the battle was over, all participants of the snowball fight collapsed onto the snow, panting heavily.

"That's enough exercise for a year," Plagg said, breathing heavily.

"You can say that again," Tikki panted.

"Let's head inside to warm ourselves up," Adrien said, picking his exhausted friends up. Alya and Nino rested in the crook of his left arm, while Plagg and Tikki sat on both of his shoulders. "What do you say, Marinette? How about we head to the library?" He held his hand out for Marinette to take.

Marinette nodded. "Good idea."

* * *

Adrien and Marinette were in the library standing in front of the fireplace with a pile of books in both of their arms. They set them down carefully before sitting by the fire to warm themselves on that chilly winter's day. Nino, Alya, Plagg and Tikki all left once Adrien set them down, each one giving them an excuse. Adrien and Marinette merely shrugged and went on to pick out a few books to read.

"I like your dress today, Marinette," Adrien smiled, pointing down at her red dress adorned with black polka-dots. Marinette no longer wore the same red dress every day. She now agreed to wear the dresses Mylene would choose for her, much to the wardrobe's delight. She didn't always agree with the color or designs, but if it would make Mylene happy, then so be it.

"Oh," Marinette said, looking down at her attire and smiling. "Thank you, Adrien."

He nodded. He opened his mouth to say something, but stopped himself before the words came out of his mouth. There was a glint in his eye, and his smile stretched out across his face. He suppressed his laughter and said in the most normal voice, "It's really… _purr_ etty."

"You really think so?" Marinette asked incredulously, gripping her poufy skirt. "I think I look like a human-sized ladybug—" She paused, whipping her head around to look at him. "Did you just say what I think you said?"

Adrien hummed. "Maybe."

"Say it again," she ordered. Adrien ignored her question and began picking out titles from his pile of books. Marinette pushed, "Adrien, _what_ _did you say_."

"Oh, it's nothing of…" Adrien grinned. "Im _purr_ tance."

Silence.

"Shut the hell up."

At this, Adrien burst out laughing at her reaction. Since his servants had gotten used to his puns over the past years, seeing a new reaction to them was so much fun. His form was indeed a terrible curse, but you had to make fun of yourself every now and then to ease the pain.

"Sorry, I couldn't help it," Adrien said when his laughter faded.

"You better be sorry," Marinette narrowed her eyes. "That was terrible."

"I know, I know. Please _fur_ give me."

Marinette groaned and buried her face in her hands, making Adrien laugh once more. His laughter was loud and so full of joy and happiness; it caught the attention of a certain group of talking objects.

"He's… _laughing_ , and he told her his horrible _puns_ ," Plagg said in awe as he, Nino, Alya and Tikki all watched from behind a pile of books. "The world must be coming to an end."

"Who'd ever thought they'd come together on their own?" Alya asked aloud, her lips curving upwards into a smile. "At this rate, they'll definitely fall in love by the time the last petal falls."

"We have to make it go faster," Plagg said. An idea suddenly same into mind, and after telling his friends his plan, they all quietly snuck out of the library.

"Where do we meet?" Tikki asked once they were out of earshot and before they all separated ways.

"The ballroom," Nino answered. "And don't be late, guys! We only have until tonight!"

With that, each of the items hopped off and headed into different directions.

Back in the library, Marinette had gotten over Prince Adrien's horrible cat puns, and the two were now flipping over one of the books they picked out from the many shelves. Sitting by a warm fire was definitely a good idea, especially since they had a snowball fight not too long ago.

"As I was saying," Marinette said, composing herself after another round of cat puns and cat jokes. "Don't you think I look like a human-sized ladybug in this dress?"

"You kind of do, but it's not a bad thing. I like what Mylene picked out for you actually," Adrien laughed. "Or maybe I just like it because you remind me of the character Ladybug in one of my favorite books."

Marinette's eyes widened at the mention of the name _Ladybug_. "Ladybug? As in Ladybug and Chat Noir? _Miraculous Ladybug_ by Thomas Astruc?" she babbled. She had never met anyone who liked that book as well.

"Of course!" Adrien exclaimed, picking it out of his pile. He presented the black-covered book to her and grinned. "How can you not like this book? Mind-controlled victims, magic sprites, and heroes who unknowingly love each other? It's a world I'd love to live in—a world full of adventure."

Marinette smiled at his words because it was the same explanation she gave Nathalie months ago when she still lived in her village.

She raised an eyebrow when Adrien handed her the book. "Do you want to... maybe… read it together?" he asked with a nervous smile.

Marinette took the book out of his hands with a nod and a smile. "Of course," she said. She flipped open the book and fiddled with the pages before landing on the first page of chapter one. "Once upon a time…"

Marinette read the book with happiness in her tone and glee in her eyes. While she read the adventures of Ladybug and Chat Noir, Adrien often just found himself staring at her face. He watched her sapphire eyes scan the white pages, her lips moving to form every single word there was. He watched the way she would tuck some of her midnight hair behind her ear when the strands came loose, and the way she crinkled her nose whenever Chat Noir made another one of his famous puns. The way—

"—Adrien?"

Adrien snapped out of his thoughts. "H-huh? What?" he asked, blinking.

Marinette pointed at the black-covered book, laughing. "Do you want to read the next chapter?" she asked.

"Sure," Adrien nodded. He took the book out of her hands and cleared his throat. "Chapter three: Copycat."

* * *

"Alright, listen up, you peasants," Plagg announced, catching everyone's attention. All the castle's servants had been gathered in the dusty ballroom by word of mouth, each told not to let Adrien or Marinette know about their meeting. Luckily, the two had been spotted reading in the library, and they probably weren't going to be out for another two hours or so.

"You're probably wondering why I called all of you here," Plagg continued, hopping onto a desk and raising his voice so that those in the back could hear him. He eyed the ticking clock in the crowd and observed it for a good ten seconds, and said, "Alright, so we have exactly twelve hours, thirty six minutes and fifteen seconds to create the most magical, spontaneous, and romantic atmosphere known to man, got it?"

"…For what?" Juleka, a large-framed mirror, asked.

"For Prince Adrien and Marinette, obviously!" Plagg exclaimed. "We're going to clean the entire castle and plan the _perfect_ dinner for both of them. Oh, and by _we_ , I mean _you guys_."

"What's so special about tonight?" Rose, the flower vase, asked. "It's just like every other night, isn't it?"

"That's where you're wrong, Rose," Plagg grinned, clearing his throat before continuing. "Prince Adrien… wants to confess his love to Marinette _tonight_."

At this, the entire hall screamed excitedly, their cheers echoing throughout the entire ballroom. The servants each hugged each other and some even began crying tears of joy not only because their Prince had found love, but also because of the thought of being human again.

"Human again…" the servants all sighed dreamily.

"Yes, think what that means," Plagg said. "So, are we clear? Now, half of you go to the East Wing, and the other half of you to the West Wing. Get to your stations, and start cleaning!"

With the wonderful thought of returning to their human forms in mind, the servants all left to their respective area to clean up the old, dusty castle. They each found themselves singing about being human again while they worked, each one filled with hope once again.

As Plagg mentioned earlier, they were all doing their best to make sure that tonight was going to be a spontaneous, magical, romantic and unforgettable night for Prince Adrien and Marinette. The servants all went from one room to another and paid attention to every single thing, cleaning even the tightest corners. While they cleaned, they all thought about what they would be able to do once they were human again, making them work harder.

Outside, the melting snow was shoveled aside to make room for the blooming flowers and growing tress. The gargoyle statues outside were washed and water flowed out of the fountains once again after a long winter. The sprinklers were turned on to hydrate the grass and plants, and dead leaves were raked and thrown away.

After the staff cleaned the rooms and the outside, they all gathered together to clean the grand ballroom. The mops all paired up, and twisted and turned to make the floor as clean and shiny as possible. Feather dusters were hurled onto the chandelier to clear the dust, sponges and rags joined together to clean the windows, and the large doors' hinges were oiled to open up without creaks.

When they were all done, the servants each cheered at their hard work.

"So, what do you think, Plagg?" Tikki asked. She hopped over to her friend with an expectant smile on her face, swirling around to look at the now-cleaned castle. "We did a pretty good job, didn't we?"

"Meh," Plagg replied unenthusiastically, and he would shrug if he still had his shoulders. "I've seen better."

Huffing, Tikki clinked her handle against his, making the black teacup laugh. "I'm just kidding, geez," Plagg chuckled. "Everyone did a great job."

"Of course we did," Nino said as he approached the two with Alya following closely behind. "Tonight's _the_ night. I swear if you asked everyone to clean up a second time, they'd all do it willingly."

"Then, if that's the case…" Plagg said mischievously, eyeing all the servants around him. "Let's tire them all out, shall we?"

"Don't you even dare," Alya said sternly. "Or I'll lock you in the cupboard."

"Hey, I wasn't going to," Plagg said, sticking a tongue out childishly. He turned around to look at the result of everyone's hard work, and smiled.

Tonight was going to be perfect.

* * *

 **A/N:** And the puns have begun.

LOL next chapter is my favorite scene in the entire movie—the ballroom scene! There are only three chapters left until the end, hope you guys will stick around until then. Thank you for the faves and reviews, and thank you for reading! :)


	8. Beauty and the Beast

**Falling Rose Petals**

Chapter 07

 **Beauty and the Beast**

"What's so special about tonight?"

"Sh. I'll tell you when you're older."

"I'm older than _you_ , Plagg."

Adrien sat in his bath, allowing himself to be washed and ready for tonight's dinner. A coat rack, Ivan, volunteered to help him get all cleaned and dressed up for the night's event.

"Tonight is the night!" Nino exclaimed. Ivan splashed Adrien over the head with a huge bucket of water and scrubbed, removing all the dirt on his fur.

"Ow! Please scrub more gently," Adrien told the coat rack, who apologized for his strength. The Prince looked over at Nino and Plagg, asking, "Can one of you _please_ tell me what's going on?"

Plagg began, "I'll tell you when you're older—"

" _Plagg_."

"Fine, fine," Plagg said. "Tonight's the night you _confess_ to her."

" _WHAT_?!" Adrien screeched and made over-exaggerated hand movements, which made him accidentally splash Ivan, Nino and Plagg with water. "Sorry, guys. But really, _what_?! Who said I was going to confess to her?!"

"You care for her, don't you?" Nino asked, re-lighting his flames.

"M-more than anything," Adrien blushed, getting out of the tub. Ivan helped him dry up with a towel, scrubbing at his fur furiously. "But… I don't think I can do it."

"What do you mean you can't do it?" Plagg asked, hopping on top of a stool so that Adrien can hear him clearer. "Listen—you have to be _bold_ , _daring_! Let her know she means everything to you before it's too late!"

"But…" Adrien faltered.

"Don't worry, everything will be fine," Nino assured.

Ivan was Marinette's Mylene for Adrien, and so he picked up the clothes he set aside before washing the Prince and hung them on his coat racks. Adrien stood in front of the mirror while Ivan placed the different outfits in front of him, trying to decide on which one would suit him for tonight's special occasion.

"Oh, try on this one!" Plagg said, jumping on top of one of Ivan's outfits that were spread over Adrien's bed. Adrien walked over to the teacup and caught him in mid-air, and Plagg continued to jump up and down on Adrien's palms. "It's the _purr_ fect outfit, trust me!"

"Don't ever use that pun again."

"What? Why not?! You say it all the time!"

Adrien decided to try on the outfit Plagg suggested, and looked into the mirror to examine himself. It was a royal blue tail coat with gold trimmings, and his sleeves were neatly folded at the ends of his arms. Underneath his vest was a white dress shirt with a matching white ascot scarf, and covering his legs were black pants trimmed with gold.

"Wow, Plagg," Adrien said, turning around. "You did something right for once."

"Thank— _what_?" Plagg screeched. "That's your way of saying _thank you_?!"

" _Hey_ —it's not like _you_ ever thank me properly either!"

Nino could only facepalm as the two bickered; it seemed that they never ran out of energy when it came to arguing or insulting each other.

* * *

"You're not wearing one of your dresses tonight, Marinette," Alya said from her place on the bed.

"I have the perfect gown for you," Mylene said, reaching into her drawers.

Marinette gasped in awe when Mylene took out the most gorgeous ball gown that Marinette had ever seen. The dress was the color of gold, and its skirt was wide-hemmed and reached the floor beneath her feet. Her bodice was gold and fitted, and her sleeves drooped past her shoulders, doing well to show off her creamy skin. Mylene provided her with matching golden gloves, slippers, and a golden ribbon to tie her hair with.

"It's beautiful," Marinette whispered, running her fingers over the ball gown's soft fabric. "I couldn't possibly… Mylene, I can't."

"No, please," Mylene insisted. "I've been waiting for someone to wear it. It's one of my proudest dresses. I want you to be the first to wear it."

"Alright. Thank you," Marinette smiled, taking the dress out of Mylene's hands (or drawers).

When Marinette put the ball gown on, both Mylene and Alya gasped in awe at how beautiful she looked in it. Marinette approached the mirror to examine herself and smiled, "Mylene… the dress is gorgeous. I can't thank you enough."

"I knew it'd fit you well," Mylene grinned. Marinette thanked her once more, and sat on the bed, cupping Alya with her gloved hands.

"I wish I still had my hands so I can do your hair," Alya sighed sadly. "I'll just have to instruct you then. No pigtails tonight, dear. I have the perfect hairstyle in mind."

After Alya's first instruction her on how to style her hair, Marinette asked, "Is there something about tonight that sets it apart from all the other nights?"

"What makes you think that?" Alya asked. "Oh! No, no, don't take all of your hair—take only a small section of it."

When Marinette obliged, she continued, "I mean… this dress is far too fancy, don't you think?"

"That may be true, but we're celebrating your fifth month at the castle today," Mylene said.

"It's already been five months?" Marinette asked.

Alya nodded. "Time flies, doesn't it?" After giving Marinette the final instruction, the teapot took a step back to admire her work. "There," Alya smiled. "Now you're done."

Tikki walked through the door grinning at the sight of Marinette. She made a little bow and announced, "Prince Adrien awaits."

Marinette nodded at the little red teacup and shot one last smile at Mylene and Alya before stepping out the door. She grabbed a portion of her ball gown's skirt to prevent her from tripping when she made herself down the stairs, and let it go once she reached the bottom.

Adrien watched her go down the steps, feeling his heartbeat increase with each passing second. Alya and Mylene did such a wonderful job on her hair and attire that Adrien found himself speechless at the sight of her. Nino coughed, and when Adrien didn't respond, the candelabra burned his leg to get him out of his daze. Adrien let out a small shriek and looked down to see Nino nodding at him to go. Adrien gulped and fixed his ascot before heading down the stairs to join Marinette.

Once Adrien reached the bottom, he bowed to his Lady, and she curtsied in return. Adrien held his arm out and Marinette wrapped hers around his, allowing him to lead the way to the dining room.

They sat in their respective spots at the table, and Nino came hopping in with his band in tow, except for the piano that played loud enough from the ballroom for them all to hear. Walking violins, cellos and flutes all began playing their part, and Alya made her way into the room and began to sing softly.

 _Tale as old as time…_

Adrien and Marinette were served with the best meals made by the kitchen staff. The servants each put their heart and soul into their dishes, making sure not even a pinch of salt or a drop of water was forgotten. They spent hours slaving in the kitchen, and by the looks on Marinette and their Princes faces, it was all worthwhile.

"It's delicious!" Marinette exclaimed after one bite of her meal.

"You say that every meal," Adrien laughed.

 _True as it can be…_

When they were done eating, Marinette excitedly got up from her seat and pulled on Prince Adrien's arm with a smile. With a confused expression on his face, Adrien got up from his seat and allowed himself to be pulled out of the dining room.

"Where are we going?" Adrien asked.

Marinette giggled. "We're going to go dance!"

"D-dance?" he stuttered. He shook his head, exclaiming, "No, I—I can't dance!"

"Then I'll teach you," she smiled, pulling him into the ballroom.

 _Barely even friends…_

The servants all did an amazing job cleaning up and decorating the ballroom, Adrien noted as he looked around the grand hall.

When he and Marinette reached the middle of the ballroom, Adrien could practically feel his heart pounding violently against his chest. He gulped when Marinette grasped his hand. She placed his other hand on her waist, and placed hers on his shoulder, then began performing the waltz.

Noticing that Adrien was nearly tripping over his feet, Marinette laughed, "You weren't kidding when you said you couldn't dance."

Adrien pouted. "It's just been… so long since I last danced," he said, eyes looking down at their feet. "And Tikki would stand on my feet."

Marinette laughed. "Well then, I'll teach you. First of all, eyes up here," she ordered, making Adrien look up. Emerald met sapphire, and the Prince felt his face grow warm upon realizing how close they were.

"B-but," Adrien stammered. "What if I step on your feet?"

"You won't, trust me," she assured. "Now, you lead and I follow. Pretend you're walking on top of a box, and I'll do just the same. It's as simple as that."

Adrien followed her instructions, and his face noticeably brightened when he managed to get the hang of it. He looked up at his friends, who each gave him a wide smile and a nod of approval.

 _Then somebody bends unexpectedly…_

"There you go," Marinette grinned. "You're doing great, Adrien."

"Thank you, Marinette," Adrien said with the brightest smile. "Did you make your dress? It's absolutely beautiful. I think it's your best one yet."

"Oh no, I didn't make it this time. It's one of Mylene's dresses," she explained. "And I do agree. It's her one of her best gowns."

"Ah, of course. Mylene always gives her outfits her all," Adrien said.

"She does," Marinette agreed, her eyes trailing down to take a look at the Prince's attire. "I like your suit."

Adrien grinned. "I guess you could say it _suits_ me."

"I hate you."

Prince Adrien laughed as he twirled her around.

 _Just a little change…_

When he caught her hand again, he said, "As for you, I think you look like a _purr_ incess."

Marinette narrowed her eyes. "If you don't stop, I'm leaving for my room."

"You wouldn't," he smiled.

"Hm," she hummed, snuggling against his chest. "You're right."

 _Small to say the least…_

At the sight of this, Nino ordered the candles in the room to dim their lighting, to which they obeyed. The music, nearing the end of the song, softened and slowed their rhythm to fit with the atmosphere.

Tikki sighed dreamily at the sight of them, while Plagg rolled his eyes at the romance (though one couldn't miss the smile on his face). Nino sat between the two teacups, hugging them tightly as the three of them watched, and Alya continued to sing the song with the softest and gentlest voice.

"They're going to live happily ever after, aren't they?" Tikki asked.

Nino nodded. "Of course, Tikki. Of course."

The candelabra took a quick glance at the clock behind them and gasped at the time.

"Plagg, Tikki," Nino began. "It's past your bedtimes. Off to the cupboard now."

"We're not five anymore, I'll have you know," Plagg huffed.

"So, you're telling me you want to keep watching all this romance?"

"I never said that!"

Nino laughed. "I'm kidding. I'll let you two stay up late just for tonight."

 _Both a little scared…_

"Marinette," Adrien whispered.

"Yes?" Marinette asked, keeping her face against his chest.

"I… have something I need to tell you."

"I'm listening."

Adrien looked over at his friends, who each pointed towards the balcony when he caught their eye. He nodded at them and mouthed the words _thank you_.

 _Neither one prepared…_

Adrien twirled Marinette around one last time before leading her out to the balcony.

 _Beauty and the Beast._

* * *

Outside, an endless sheet of midnight blue covered the sky, and twinkling stars danced and shone with all their light. Adrien and Marinette sat at the edge of the balcony in a comfortable silence at they stared into each other's eyes.

"Marinette…" Adrien said softly, grabbing both of her hands. "Are you happy here… with me?"

"I am," Marinette answered honestly. Adrien looked down, gathering all the courage he needed to tell her how he felt about her, but when he looked up, Marinette's eyes were elsewhere. Adrien observed her profile, noting the frown on her face and the faraway look in her eyes.

"What's wrong?" Adrien asked worriedly.

"I just…" Marinette turned back to him and clutched his hands tightly. "I miss my father so much. If only there was a way I could see him again…"

Adrien looked down and frowned at her words—he was so focused on his own feelings that he didn't even pay attention to how Marinette was feeling. His face suddenly lit up and he stood up, his hands still holding hers.

"There _is_ a way," Adrien said, helping her up. He led her all the way to his room, and they walked over to the marble table the rose floated above. He reached for the mirror next to the glass case and handed it over to Marinette.

"What's this?" she asked, observing it. It looked a regular mirror.

"This mirror will show you anything," he told her. "Anything you wish to see."

Upon hearing his words, Marinette averted her attention to the mirror. "I'd like to see my father… please," she said to it. The mirror immediately responded by shining brightly and when the light faded, she saw her father in the mirror.

Tom was inside the bakery like she was expecting and he appeared to be re-stacking the shelves with loaves of bread. He appeared to be perfectly fine, when he suddenly dropped the tray of bread in his hands. He fell to the floor and began coughing violently into his arm, and when his coughing ceased, Marinette could see drops of sweat on his brow and his face was almost ghostly white.

He staggered on his feet while getting up and went to the front of the bakery to hang up the _CLOSED_ sign, and despite the heat in the bakery, he appeared to be shivering. Marinette watched as her father walked back to the counter, rested his elbows on the counter's surface and buried his face in his hands. The sound of sobbing could be heard seconds later, making Marinette's heart break.

"Marinette…" She heard him whisper. "I'm so sorry…"

"Papa…" she choked. She looked up at the beast with worry in her eyes, crying, "H-he's sick—he may even be dying, and I…!"

Hearing the sadness in her voice, Adrien took a quick glance at the wilting rose, then back at Marinette. Her happiness meant so much more to him than breaking the spell.

"Then," Adrien clutched his fists. "Y-you must go to him."

"What…?" Marinette asked, looking up at him in surprise. "What did you say?"

"You're free," Adrien said quietly, feeling his heart ache at his words. "You're no longer my prisoner. Go back to your father. He needs you as much as you need him."

"Adrien…" she said softly.

"Go."

She nodded. "Hold on, papa. I'll be right there," Marinette said into the mirror. She began walking away, but suddenly stopped in her tracks. She turned around and held out the enchanted mirror for Adrien to take, but he shook his head and pushed it towards her.

"Take it with you, so you'll always have a way to look back," Adrien said as he twirled a lock of her hair with his finger. "And remember me."

"I won't ever forget you," Marinette said as she hugged him. Adrien returned the hug, and he was no longer able to fight back his tears when she left the room. He turned around to face the rose once again, and his tears leaked from his eyes and rolled down his face, where they dripped onto the marble table he was leaning on.

"Prince Adrien."

Adrien didn't turn around at the sound of the voices that said his name in unison. The sound of clinking followed, and with just that, he knew his friends were standing behind him, probably looking up at him with shocked expressions on their faces.

"What… have you done?" Nino asked, his voice wobbly.

"I let her go," Adrien whispered, vision blurring because of his tears.

"How could you do that?" Plagg asked. "The _rose_ —"

"I know," Adrien interrupted, frowning when another petal fell from the enchanted rose before him. "I'm so sorry."

"B-but," Alya stuttered. "How could you do that?"

"I had to," Adrien replied.

"But… why?" Tikki asked.

"Because," Adrien whispered. "I love her."

* * *

 **A/N:** The way the Beast says, "I love her," in the movie is so heartbreakingly beautiful. The emotion put into that phrase always gets to me. ;-;

Only two more chapters until the end. Thank you again for the faves and reviews! And thank you for reading!


	9. Transformation

**Falling Rose Petals**

Chapter 08

 **Transformation**

Marinette couldn't help but look back while her horse galloped further and further away from the castle. She couldn't explain the pain in her chest the further they went. The castle just felt so much like _home_ , and it hurt so much to leave it behind.

It was the only place where she felt she belonged.

She was even able to meet so many kind and caring people during her stay. She was going to miss Alya, Nino, Plagg and Tikki—that she knew for certain. Alya took care of her like an older sister would; giving her advice when needed and lending her an open ear whenever she needed to get something off of her chest. Nino was like an older brother who always goofed around, but would be willing to break anyone's neck if they were to hurt her. Plagg was that sassy little brother who always got into heaps of trouble, and Tikki was that little sister who was kind and sweet and adorable.

And then there was Adrien.

Just the thought of him brought tears to her eyes because she was going to miss him the most. She was going to miss his emerald green eyes, and his voice, his laugh, his smile. She was going to miss talking to him about her favorite books and authors, and sewing wasn't going to be the same because he wasn't going to be watching her work over her shoulder. She was going to miss his touch, the way he held her hand while they danced, and even his stupid cat puns. She was going to miss his everything.

Marinette turned her head around when the castle was no longer in sight, feeling something inside of her shatter, and she knew all too well that it was her heart.

* * *

Tom was curled up in bed, coughing every so often. He had overworked himself these past few days and weeks, hoping it would distract him from the loss of his entire family. Just as he was about to drift off into sleep, he heard a knock on the door. He thought about just staying in bed, but the person on the other side of the door continued to knock nonstop.

"Now, who could that be?" Tom asked aloud as he slowly got out of bed.

He carefully made his way to the front door and opened it to reveal the person he least expected to ever see again. His eyes widened at the person standing before him.

"Hi, papa," Marinette smiled. "I'm back."

Tom instantly threw his arms over his daughter as tears streamed down his face. "Marinette, my daughter," he cried, hugging her tighter. "I thought I'd never see you again!"

"Oh, papa, I've missed you so much," Marinette said with teary-eyes. When they let go of each other, they closed the door behind them and each made their way to the living room. Marinette placed a damp cloth on her father's forehead and covered him with blankets before they both went on to talk about Marinette's time in the castle.

"How did you escape?" Tom asked almost too quickly. "How did you—"

"I didn't escape," she answered, shaking her head. "Adrien—I mean, the beast let me go. He released me."

"He did? That horrible, monstrous beast?!" Tom asked, brows furrowing at the thought of the monster who took his daughter away from him for nearly a year.

"He's not a monster, papa," Marinette said, attempting to calm her father down. "In fact… I had a really good time at the castle. He's my frien—"

Marinette was cut off when her bag suddenly tumbled from its place on the chair to the floor noisily. The magic mirror flopped out of it, but so did a certain red-colored teacup.

"Tikki?" Marinette asked, running over to the little teacup and scooping her in her hands. "What are you doing here? Do they know you snuck into my bag? Tikki, you have to go back—"

"You can't go!" Tikki exclaimed with sadness, Marinette's questions to her falling on deaf ears. "Please come back to the castle!"

Marinette frowned. "Tikki, I wish I could, it's just—"

 _Knock, knock, knock_.

For the third time that evening, Marinette was cut off. After telling her father and the teacup to stay where they were, she got up from the couch and headed to the door. She opened it up to reveal Hawkmoth—the last person she was hoping to see upon returning to the village.

"Marinette, I see you've returned," Hawkmoth said, his eyes trailing down to her ladybug-printed earrings. "It's been quite a while, hasn't it?"

"What are _you_ doing here?" she asked, eyes looking past him to see a mob of villagers and a cart that read _Insane Asylum_. "Insane Asylum?!"

"I've come to collect your father," Hawkmoth said it in a way as if Tom was worth nothing more than an item. "He needs to go where he belongs."

"What are you talking you talking about?!" she raised her voice, body shaking with anger.

"You should've heard him while you were gone," Hawkmoth cackled. "He was telling us all how you were locked in a castle with a _beast_. He's gone absolutely _insane_ while you were absent."

"How dare you say that?! My father's not crazy!" Marinette shouted angrily, knuckles turned white from clenching her fists too tightly. At her yell, Tom came rushing to the front to see what was going on.

"Marinette? What's wrong?" he asked, catching Hawkmoth's attention.

"There you are, Tom," Hawkmoth smirked. "Now, tell us, we're all dying to hear—how big _was_ this beast?"

"Papa, don't—" Marinette began, but she wasn't loud enough for Tom had already gone to describe Adrien's beastly form.

He told the villagers of his cat-like appearance, how he stood at nearly eight feet tall, and how the ground shook at his monstrous growl. The villagers only laughed at his description, and Marinette watches in horror as two men grabbed his arms and began dragging him into the cart. Tom was indeed very tall and bulky, but he was old, and so couldn't fight back.

In desperation, Marinette ran back into the house and grabbed the magic mirror. She yelled out to the people, "My father's not crazy, and I can prove it!" She ordered the mirror to show her the beast, which then glowed a flashy green, revealing Adrien's heartbroken face. The people all screamed in terror at the sight of him, while Hawkmoth just stood by with a shocked expression on his face.

"What is this?" Hawkmoth asked, snatching the mirror out of her hands. Marinette tried to fight for it back, but her thin frame was no match for his towering build. Hawkmoth continued to study the image of the beast through the mirror, and when his eyes caught the black ring on Adrien's finger, Hawkmoth gasped. "It can't be! He's got the other Miraculous!"

He _needed_ to get that ring. But he couldn't do it alone.

"Do you see this _monster_?" Hawkmoth shouted, showing the mirror to the villagers. "The beast will eat all of us—it'll come after us in the night! It'll steal our crops and destroy our village if we let him wander free, I say we _kill the beast_!"

"NO!" Marinette screamed, attempting to grab the mirror. "I won't let you do this!"

"If you're not with us, you're against us," Hawkmoth said, grabbing hold of her wrist. He turned to the two men holding Tom and nodded at them in the direction of the basement. His henchmen threw the old baker into the basement, while Hawkmoth dragged Marinette.

"LET ME GO!" she fought, but she was no match against him. Hawkmoth was far too strong.

"Ah yes, before I forget…" Hawkmoth pulled Marinette's earrings out of her earlobes before throwing her into the basement. Marinette glared up at him, placing a hand on her earlobes in order to stop the burning pain from having her earrings ripped out of them, while her father rushed to her side worriedly.

"Give those back! My mother gave them to me!" Marinette pleaded. " _Please_ , just—I'll even go work at your stupid company if you'd just stop!"

"My company? You think this is about my company?" Hawkmoth cackled. "Foolish Marinette. Of course, you _would_ help me earn more money with your talent, but it wasn't you I was after. It was your Miraculous!" He held up the earrings proudly.

"My… Miraculous?" she echoed. "What are you talking about? It's just an old folktale, there's no way—"

"That it's true?" Hawkmoth laughed. "Did you really think they were just myths? Just made-up stories you read in your story books? I've always known about the Miraculouses. While everyone thought of them as old legends, I went out of my way to study them. I couldn't snatch them from Sabine, but look how easy it was to snatch them from _you_! Now, if I could grab hold of that beast's ring, then I can gain absolute power. What's a little bit of money compared to power? That was all I wanted this entire time."

He then closed the doors, and the last thing she heard before they shut were, "Thank you for your help, Marinette Dupain-Cheng."

Marinette watched the mob of people leave the village with weapons and torches in hand, each ready to head to the castle to attack. She banged against the wooden door with her formidable fists, falling to the floor and sobbing when they wouldn't budge.

"Oh, papa, it's no use," Marinette cried as Tom approached her and gave her a hug. "They're going to kill Adrien and it's all my fault!"

Outside, Tikki waited until all the villagers were gone before hopping over to the window of the basement. She knocked herself against the window, thankfully grabbing Tom and Marinette's attention.

"Tikki!" Marinette exclaimed, running over to the window. She pointed over at the door, screaming loudly to hopefully get her voice through to the teacup, "Unlock the door! UNLOCK IT!"

Tikki clearly heard her and looked up at the door, her face falling at the height of the lock. She was going to need _a lot_ of things to stand on to help her reach it.

* * *

"Uh, guys?" Plagg gulped as he looked out the window. "I think we have a problem heading our way. Literally."

Nino and Alya rushed over to the window at Plagg's words, their eyes widening at the sight of the incoming mob. A number of villagers were heading toward the castle's entrance, weapons and torches in arm.

"Invaders!" Nino cried, scanning the crowd. His eyes fell on the person leading the crowd, and gasped, "What have they done to Marinette? They have the mirror!"

"We have to tell Prince Adrien!" Alya cried, rushing out the door. "Tell everyone in the castle! Block the doors, do anything! Just keep them away from the Prince and the rose!"

Nino and Plagg obeyed her orders and dashed out the door to tell all the servants to block every entrance into the castle. Immediately, the servants took action and all made their way to the main hall. The villagers hammered at the door with a log of wood in order to break the door down. It didn't open the first time, but it was going to open up eventually.

"Prince Adrien!" Alya exclaimed upon entering his room.

"Yes, Alya?" Adrien replied, his voice quiet and full of sorrow. He stared at the enchanted rose lifelessly—there weren't more than five petals. It was too late at this point. There was no way the spell would be broken by tonight.

"The castle is under attack!" At her words, a loud thud erupted from below and echoed throughout the castle.

"It doesn't matter," Adrien answered, shocking Alya. His eyes remained fixated on the rose in the glass. "Just let them come."

Downstairs, the servants continued to fight against the thundering of the door, but their strength began to lessen. What was a group of over fifty men against mere furniture?

"It's not working!" Nino yelled, face contorted in fear.

"We have to think of something else!" Plagg yelled, pushing harder against the door.

"Wait!" Nino suddenly shouted, his flames sparking. "I have an idea!"

Outside, the angry mob continued to slam the entrance door with a tree trunk they chopped down on their way to the castle. The door finally opened, and the villagers each scrambled into the castle. They walked around with a suspicious eye, wondering why the main hall was so filled with furniture. Since the illumination in the room was fairly dim, one of the villagers grabbed Nino.

"NOW!" Nino yelled.

At his call, the servants each fought the villagers with all they had, using their cursed bodies with everything they could. However, since they were all so caught up with beating up the mob of villagers, they all failed to notice Hawkmoth climb up the stairs and head to a certain area.

The West Wing.

* * *

In the West Wing, Adrien sat by the window and looked up, hoping to see Marinette come running back to the castle. The door suddenly swung open, revealing a tall man with the magic mirror in his hand, a bow in the other, and a bag of arrows strapped to his back. Adrien's eyes widened at the sight of the mirror.

"Wait…" Adrien began, his eyes widening. "What… what have you done to her?"

"Her?" Hawkmoth asked with confusion written on his face. The confusion on his face then disappeared, and he dug his hand in his pocket. He took it out with a closed palm, and then opened it to reveal two red earrings with black polka dots on them. "Oh, you mean, Marinette?"

"What have you done to her?!" Adrien growled, approaching him.

"Don't come any closer, you _monster_ ," Hawkmoth warned, taking a step back. "I'll tell you where she is if you hand me your ring."

No way would he give it up this easily. This man most likely hurt Marinette, and he knew this because she would never give up such a precious item. Adrien wasn't going to forgive him—he was going to give him what he deserved instead.

Adrien looked down at it and clenched his fist.

"Never."

Angrily, Hawkmoth threw himself at Adrien, and both smashed against the room's window. Shards flew everywhere as the window broke, and both men fell onto the roof, which quickly became a battlefield.

Hawkmoth was no match against Adrien's beastly form, and before they knew it, Adrien was holding him by the neck and dangling him over the edge of the roof.

"Let me go, let me go!" Hawkmoth begged. "Please, I'll do anything! _Anything_!"

At this, Adrien's glare faded, and he slowly backed up until Hawkmoth was able to touch the floor with his feet again. Adrien didn't want to become the beast everyone feared him to be. He released his grip on the man's neck, who coughed and breathed in as much air as possible.

"Get out," Adrien ordered.

"ADRIEN!"

Adrien's eyes widened at the sound of the voice. He whipped his head around to see Marinette on the balcony of his room. Raindrops trailed down her worried face, and her midnight hair fell loosely on her shoulders. Her pigtails appeared to have been undone due to her rush to the castle, but despite the mess, Adrien still found her breathtakingly beautiful.

"Marinette, you're all right," Adrien whispered as he climbed the roof to get to her. Marinette held her hand out to him, and he grasped it when he was close enough, the other hand placed firmly on the balcony's rails to keep him from falling. Adrien cupped her cheek, his eyes sparkling with indescribable happiness. "And you came back."

"No," Marinette shook her head. "I came home."

Adrien opened his mouth to say something, but instead of words came a sickening scream. Marinette let out a gasp of horror when she saw the blood-stained knife in Hawkmoth's hand, and the bloody gash on Adrien's side. Hawkmoth took his sword out and threw it over his shoulder, reaching his arm out to grab Adrien's Miraculous, when he lost his footing and fell off the roof. His screams echoed in the air as he fell to his death, and they continued until his figure disappeared in the darkness and his screams were no longer audible.

Marinette helped the injured beast go over the railings of the balcony, and carefully laid him down on its marble floors. She gently placed his head on her lap, fighting back the tears from falling from her eyes. Nino, Alya, Tikki and Plagg all came rushing in, and each let out a gasp to see their Prince and friend near death. Tikki looked up at the wilting rose, counting not more than two petals, and then re-averted her eyes to Adrien and Marinette.

"Adrien, why were you…" Marinette trailed off when Adrien held out a closed hand before her. He opened it up to reveal her red and black polka-dotted earrings. Marinette took them out of his hands and clutched them tightly.

"I had to get them back for you," Adrien said, his voice weak and hoarse. Marinette tossed the earrings aside and clutched his hands instead.

"I don't _care_ about the earrings," Marinette cried, shaking her head as the tears began rolling down her face. It was hard to tell by the rain, but Adrien knew they were there. "I just—I just want you to be all right again."

"M-maybe… it's better this way," Adrien said, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Don't say that," Marinette sobbed, biting her lip and squeezing his hands tighter. "You'll be all right, Adrien. W-we're together now. Everything's going to be fine, you'll see. You'll…"

Adrien moved his hand away from her grasp and placed it on her cheek. "At least… I got to see you one last time," he whispered. Marinette placed her hands on his hand and moved it closer to her tear-stained cheek. "Marinette," he choked.

"Yes?" she whispered.

Adrien looked deep into her ocean blue eyes and did the last thing she expected he would do.

He smiled.

"I love you."

Adrien's hand fell from its place on her cheek, and Marinette could only watch in horror as his eyelids drooped down.

"No, Adrien—ADRIEN, PLEASE WAKE UP—" Marinette pleaded, sobbing uncontrollably and she tried to shake him awake. "ADRIEN, PLEASE—DON'T LEAVE ME, I—"

She fell on top off his chest, clutching the fabric of his shirt tightly as more tears streamed down her face.

"I love you," Marinette whispered.

Seconds after her confession, the last petal of the enchanted rose fell. Nino, Alya, Tikki and Plagg watched as it did, and lowered their heads not only because they didn't succeed in breaking the spell, but also because they lost a Prince and a friend.

While Marinette cried on top of Adrien's chest, shining drops of light suddenly fell from the sky. Marinette felt herself being lifted up and so she opened her eyes and gasped when Adrien floated up into the air. She backed up against the balcony's rails with the same expression as Nino, Alya, Tikki and Plagg on her face.

Adrien's black cloak wrapped around his beastly form, his hand tearing the fabric as it jutted out. The hairs on his paw disappeared and the size of it shrunk with each passing second, until it turned into what looked like human hands. Light shone from his fingertips, as did his toes when the same process happened with his feet. When his body had transformed from a cat's to a human's, his face did so as well, but Marinette wasn't able to see it from where she sat.

When Adrien's transformation was complete, he was brought back to his previous spot. Marinette got up on her feet and held out a hand to touch him, when he suddenly moved, making her jump a few feet back. Adrien stood up and looked down at his hands to see _human_ hand and immediately broke out into a smile. He turned himself around and when he did, Marinette placed a hand over her mouth.

She came face to face with a tall man with a muscular build, a smile that could light up the night, striking green eyes and golden blond hair.

"Marinette," he began with a voice deep and cheerful. Adrien ran up to her and grabbed her hands, squeezing them tightly. "It's me!"

Marinette looked into his eyes, her face lighting up when she looked into the same green eyes she had once seen on a beast. "It _is_ you!" she exclaimed, placing a hand on his cheek.

Adrien brushed a stray hair out of her face and tucked it behind her ear as he stared into her bluebell eyes. He moved closer to her face, and Marinette did as well, until both their lips touched. Fireworks shot up into the dark sky when they did, and suddenly, the sky went from a dark and cloudy gray to a clear and cloudless blue.

Adrien wasn't the only one that experienced a transformation—the castle did as well. The gray-ish, stone walls of the castle transformed into a white marble, and all the gargoyle statues transformed into angels. The broken objects were fixed again, and luxurious furniture appeared in all the rooms of the castle.

After Adrien and Marinette's lips parted, a candelabra, a teapot and two teacups came hopping into the scene. A tornado of sparkles encircled them, and when it disappeared, it revealed four humans in the place of four objects.

"Nino! Alya!" Adrien exclaimed as he ran up to two adults and hugged both of them. Nino turned out to be a tall man in a suit with black hair and glasses, and Alya a woman in a sunset-colored gown with glasses and wavy scarlet hair.

When Adrien let go of them, he ran over to the two children and ruffled both of their hair, exclaiming, "Tikki! Plagg! Look at us, we're human again!"

"Really? I haven't noticed," Plagg laughed as Adrien locked him in his arm and ruffled his hair harder. Plagg turned out to be a boy no older than fourteen with messy black hair and flashy green eyes. Tikki, who was currently giggling at the interaction between Adrien and Plagg, was a little fourteen-year-old girl with a red bobcut and brown doll-like eyes.

"It's a miracle!" Nino exclaimed, pulling both kids and Alya into a hug.

Adrien rushed over to Marinette and picked her up, laughing as he twirled her around in the air. When he put her back down, they looked into each other's eyes and shared another kiss, one filled with more passion and love than the last.

Inside Adrien's room, the enchanted rose was in full bloom behind the glass, and it glowed one last time before disappearing in a flash of pink.

* * *

 **A/N:** Hawkmoth just wanted the Miraculouses—told you I'd stay somewhat true to the show. c:

Updates are fast because I just want to finish this story already LOL. I'm currently writing another Reveal Fic, and I just really want to focus on that one more. I hope to see a few familiar names once I publish it!

Uh, I couldn't really make Plagg and Tikki kwamis, so have some Human!Plagg and Human!Tikki instead LOL. The final chapter will be out very soon, I just have to edit it. Thank you to all those who reviewed and added this story to their favorites! Thank you for reading!


	10. Happily Ever After

**Falling Rose Petals**

Epilogue

 **Happily Ever After**

Marinette laughed as Adrien spun her around in the air, staring into the very same emerald eyes that once belonged to a beast. When he put her back down, Marinette grabbed his hand, and with the other she gripped the skirt of her dress, and she and Adrien both danced around the castle's grand ballroom.

The servants watched the new King and Queen happily, not only because they were human again, but also because Adrien was able to find love after all these years. His heart was no longer filled with loneliness, but with love that would continue to grow stronger with each passing day.

Nino, the castle's maestro, turned away from his band to smile at the couple. He instructed them all to play the same song they played during Adrien and Marinette's first dance, while Alya sang softly in the background.

 _Certain as the sun…_

For ten years, Nino had wished for this day to come. Having taken care of Adrien for so long, Nino knew everything about the boy. He knew about his loneliness, his inner beauty. He didn't deserve to be neglected by his father, nor did he deserve to be cursed. Adrien had always been so kind and good, it was unfair for him to suffer.

And then there was Marinette, an outcast in every village she had lived in. She didn't deserve such treatment from the villagers because her heart was as good as Adrien's. When she arrived at the castle, she chased away the loneliness in Adrien's heart, something that no one was able to do these past ten years.

They found comfort within each other, having been in similar situations, and love had blossomed between them. Neither of them was lonely anymore.

"I knew she'd break the spell," Nino smiled.

 _Rising in the east…_

Plagg and Tikki watched from the sidelines, the former pretending to gag from all the romance, making the latter laugh. The little black-haired boy then turned away from the redhead and smiled at the new King and his Queen.

"Finally," Plagg whispered, catching Tikki's attention. She looked up at him and when she saw the genuine smile on his face, she turned to watch the couple dance with a smile as well. This was the first time Plagg didn't say anything stupid or insulting or sassy, the first time he had ever stayed silent. Tikki decided not to say a word, and the two children watched Adrien and Marinette dance in a comfortable silence.

 _Tale as old as time…_

Tears of happiness welled up in Alya's eyes, but she fought her hardest to stop them from rolling down her face. She couldn't be happier with how things turned out, and she sang with all her heart as the couple continued to dance. For a split second, she saw Adrien's beastly form again, but she shook her head, smiling as she thought, "He never was a beast."

 _Song as old as rhyme…_

Tom wiped his tears away with his white handkerchief as he watched his daughter and her husband danced around the ballroom. All negative feelings he had for Adrien vanished, for the former beast wasn't as cruel as the baker had initially thought.

Apologies followed every explanation, and Tom forgave Adrien whole-heartedly. He then in turn thanked the Prince because Marinette was finally happy having found both a best friend and a husband in him, and that was the only thing Tom had been waiting for.

 _Beauty and the Beast._

"So, this is how you really look," Marinette said. Golden blond hair, emerald green eyes, pale complexion. Tall, handsome, and as beautiful on the outside as he was on the inside.

Adrien nodded. "I'm one fine _Purr_ ince Charming, aren't I?"

"Oh, shut up."

Adrien laughed, twirling her around.

 _Tale as old as time…_

"I love you, Marinette," Adrien said softly when her hand found his once again.

Marinette smiled. "I love you too, Adrien."

 _Song as old as rhyme…_

As the song neared its end, Adrien and Marinette stopped in the middle of the ballroom, and all those present stared happily at the loving stares the couple exchanged with each other.

Neither of them said a word, but they could all hear the love in the silence.

 _Beauty and the Beast._

Adrien and Marinette inched closer to each other until their lips met, and the entire ballroom filled with cheers and applause.

And they all lived happily ever after.

* * *

 **extra**

Hidden in the far corner of the room, the Enchantress watched the couple with an unreadable expression on her face. She observed Adrien's face, and seeing the happiness in his eyes, the blackness in her heart diminished just a tiny bit. Her lips curved upward into a rare smile as she spoke.

"You're not alone anymore, Adrien."

* * *

 **A/N:** the end.

 _Beauty and the Beast_ will forever be one of my favorite Disney classics, and I hope you all enjoyed my _Miraculous Ladybug_ re-telling of it. I loved writing this fanfic, and I can't thank you all enough for taking the time to read and follow this story until its completion, and for reviewing and adding this story to your favorites. I love you all. :)

Thank you.

~ Kaorei


End file.
